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Minneapolis DFL

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Minneapolis DFL
AbbreviationDFL
Mayor of MinneapolisJacob Frey
ChairVacant
Minneapolis City Council PresidentElliott Payne
FoundedApril 15, 1944; 81 years ago (1944-04-15)
IdeologyModern liberalism
Progressivism
Factions:
Democratic socialism
Left wing populism
Social democracy
Political positionCentre-left to left-wing
National affiliationDemocratic Party
Colours  Blue
State Senate (Minneapolis seats)
5 / 5
State House
(Minneapolis seats)
10 / 10
City Council
11 / 12
Website
minneapolisdfl.org

The Minneapolis Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the local affiliate of the Minnesota DFL, which is itself the Minnesota state branch of the U.S. Democratic Party. Minneapolis is a strongly Democratic city, and the DFL has been the dominant political force in its municipal government for decades. Local elections in Minneapolis are officially nonpartisan, but candidates typically seek the DFL endorsement due to the party's support and organizing infrastructure.[1]

History

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Minneapolis, a hotbed of Farmer–Labor activism in the 1930s, played a key role in the "fusion" of the state's Democratic and Farmer–Labor parties.[2] Hubert H. Humphrey, at the time a Minneapolis politician, is often cited as a founder of the Minnesota DFL.[3] In 1945 Humphrey was elected Mayor of Minneapolis under the new DFL banner.[4] Internal factional battles plagued the early DFL; at the 1948 party caucuses and convention, Humphrey and anti-Communist liberals from Minneapolis faced off against a left-wing Farmer–Labor faction, a struggle Humphrey's wing ultimately won as the party unified against far-left influence.[5]

The following decades saw the DFL become the overwhelmingly dominant party in Minneapolis. Since in the 1950s, virtually all Minneapolis mayors and city council members have been affiliated with the DFL. The city has not elected a Republican mayor since 1975, and DFL-endorsed or DFL-aligned candidates have routinely won local offices.

Structure

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The Minneapolis DFL is organized as a local unit of the statewide party, governed by party bylaws and run by elected volunteers. Every two years (in coordination with the municipal election cycle), the Minneapolis DFL holds precinct caucuses open to any party member in the city.[6] At these meetings, members elect delegates to ward conventions. Minneapolis is divided into 13 wards, and the DFL holds a convention in each ward during municipal election years. Ward conventions endorse candidates for City Council and choose local party officers. According to party rules, a candidate must receive at least 60% of delegates' votes at a ward convention to earn the DFL endorsement.[7] If no candidate surpasses that threshold (as often happens in highly contested races), no endorsement is made at the ward level. A Minneapolis city convention is convened to endorse for citywide offices such as Mayor and Park Board.

The Minneapolis DFL is led by a city committee and executive board, including a chair, vice chairs, a secretary, and a treasurer.[8] The party operates under the Minnesota DFL's constitution and platform but has autonomy in managing local endorsing processes and campaign support.[9] The Minneapolis DFL coordinates voter outreach, candidate training, and Get Out The Vote efforts.

Recent activity

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2021 election

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The 2021 Minneapolis municipal election was strongly contested, particularly around issues of policing and public safety in the wake of the George Floyd murder and ensuing civil unrest. The DFL itself did not endorse a position on the 2021 public safety charter amendment, as party members were divided on the proposal to replace the Minneapolis Police Department. DFL-endorsed candidates had mixed success in 2021. The party made no endorsement in the mayoral race (incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey won re-election without an official party endorsement in both 2017 and 2021[10]), and several city council races saw DFL-endorsed challengers defeated by incumbents or other challengers.[11]

2023 election

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The 2023 Minneapolis City Council election cycle brought some turmoil within the Minneapolis DFL. In the run-up to the 2023 election, a slate of progressive and democratic socialist candidates, many aligned with the group "Mpls for the Many," challenged more moderate DFL incumbents. The Minneapolis DFL's ward conventions that spring were marked by allegations of misconduct.[12] In one high-profile incident, the Ward 10 endorsing convention in May 2023 descended into chaos when supporters of a challenger stormed the stage and a brawl ensued, disrupting the proceedings.[13] The convention was adjourned without an outcome, and the Minnesota DFL later banned that candidate (Nasri Warsame) from ever seeking DFL endorsement due to the melee.[14][15] A similar incident occurred in 2014 at a Ward 6 precinct gathering in Cedar-Riverside.[16] In Ward 5 and Ward 6, separate disputes arose over delegate credentials, leading those conventions to be suspended or voided without endorsements.[17] These irregularities drew widespread attention and criticism. By early 2024, news broke that the FBI was investigating the Minneapolis DFL's 2023 endorsement process for potential "election irregularities," interviewing party delegates and officials about the allegations of impropriety in multiple wards.[18] Federal agents reportedly inquired into whether any laws were broken during the chaotic conventions, though as of 2025 no charges had been filed.

The general election in November 2023 resulted in a progressive-leaning majority on the City Council, with several democratic socialist or left-wing candidates winning seats.[19] Prior to 2023, a more moderate bloc of DFL-aligned council members had held sway, but voters shifted toward the progressive wing in that election. Some victorious council members in 2023 had not been endorsed by the DFL (or had lost the endorsement battles). Council Member Andrea Jenkins narrowly won re-election in Ward 8 despite the DFL endorsement going to her opponent[20][21], and in Ward 7, Katie Cashman won in 2021 in a race where no DFL endorsement was made.[1]

2025 election

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In 2025, as the next municipal election approached, the Minneapolis DFL faced internal strife when a dispute over the timing of the Ward 2 convention led to a lawsuit by some party members.[22] That legal battle prompted Minneapolis DFL Chair Conrad Zbikowski to resign. The Ward 2 convention was ultimately held as scheduled per a court's decision[23], but no endorsement was issued in that race when delegates split over Robin Wonsley who was running as an independent socialist.[24]

The party is also investigating more irregularities after rejecting hundreds of Ward 5 delegate signups because they were all submitted from the same IP address and lacked valid paper forms. Similar anomalies emerged in Wards 6 and 10, where many delegates listed ProtonMail addresses or incorrect contact information.[25]

Election results

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Mayor

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Until 2009
Year Candidate(s) Votes % Won
1993[26] Sharon Sayles Belton 59,269 57.1 Yes
John Derus 44,042 42.4 No
Total DFL 103,311 99.5 —
1997[27] Sharon Sayles Belton 52,222 54.7 Yes
Total DFL 52,222 54.7 —
2001[28] R.T. Rybak 57,739 64.7 Yes
Sharon Sayles Belton 30,896 34.6 No
Total DFL 88,635 99.3 —
2005[29] R.T. Rybak 43,198 61.5 Yes
Peter McLaughin 25,807 36.7 No
Total DFL 88,635 98.2 —
2009-
Year Candidate(s) R1 votes R1 % Won
2009 Betsy Hodges 28,962 36.5 Yes
Mark Andrew 19,648 24.7 No
Don Samuels 8,350 10.5 No
Other DFL 7,534 9.5 No
Total DFL 64,494 82.1 —
2017 Jacob Frey 26,116 25.0 Yes
Tom Hoch 20,125 19.3 No
Betsy Hodges 18,915 18.1 No
Raymond Dehn 18,101 17.3 No
Other DFL 17,518 16.8 No
Total DFL 100,775 96.4 —
2021 Jacob Frey 61,468 42.8 Yes
Sheila Nezhad 30,368 21.1 No
Kate Knuth 26,468 18.4 No
Other DFL 12,753 8.9 No
Total DFL 12,753 91.2 —

City Council

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Election Votes % Seats ± Majority
1993[26]
11 / 13
 Yes
1997[27]
12 / 13
 Increase 1 Yes
2001[27] 63,767 75.0
10 / 13
 Decrease 2 Yes
2005[27] 55,274 81.1
12 / 13
 Increase 2 Yes
2009 31,167 69.6
12 / 13
 Steady 0 Yes
2013 59,814 79.3
12 / 13
 Steady 0 Yes
2017 84,203 82.7
12 / 13
 Steady 0 Yes
2021 115,277 86.0
12 / 13
 Steady 0 Yes
2023 70,322 89.3
12 / 13
 Steady 0 Yes

References

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  1. ^ a b Winter, Deena (2025-05-14). "Minneapolis City Council member will stay in race after failing to win DFL endorsement". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  2. ^ "About Us". Minnesota DFL. 2024-06-21. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  3. ^ Cayton, Andrew R. L.; Sisson, Richard; Zacher, Chris (2006-11-08). The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-00349-2. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  4. ^ "Minnesota History Quarterly: Featured Article". mnhs.org. 2005-05-26. Archived from the original on 2014-01-01. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  5. ^ Hamby, Alonzo L. (2013-10-01). "1948 Democratic Convention". smithsonianmag.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-01. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  6. ^ "Eligibility for DFL Caucus Night on April 8". Minneapolis DFL. 2025-03-12. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  7. ^ "Minneapolis DFL Ward Conventions". Minneapolis DFL. 2025-04-08. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  8. ^ "Minneapolis DFL Constitution, Rules & Bylaws" (PDF). Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  9. ^ "Minnesota DFL Constitution, Bylaws, and Rulebook" (PDF). Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  10. ^ Callaghan, Peter (2017-07-14). "How to stop a DFL endorsement vote for mayor". MinnPost. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  11. ^ Gustavo, Solomon (2021-06-18). "Four takeaways from the Minneapolis DFL's mayoral endorsement process". MinnPost. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  12. ^ Winter, Deena (2023-05-17). "DFL grapples with third controversy over Minneapolis endorsements". Minnesota Reformer. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  13. ^ Lambert, Brian (2023-05-15). "DFL vows to punish brawlers after Minneapolis Ward 10 convention chaos". MinnPost. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  14. ^ Lambert, Brian (2023-05-31). "DFL bans Minneapolis council candidate Nasri Warsame from ever seeking DFL endorsement". MinnPost. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  15. ^ Gerezgiher, Feven (2023-05-14). "DFL chair promises changes after Minneapolis convention fight". MPR News. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  16. ^ Nord, James (2014-02-05). "DFL caucus in Minneapolis' Cedar-Riverside ends in chaos". MinnPost. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  17. ^ Orrick, Dave (2023-03-28). "Minneapolis DFL throws out delegates in one council race; allegations raised in another". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  18. ^ Orrick, Dave (2024-01-13). "FBI investigates Minneapolis DFL endorsement process". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  19. ^ Nick Halter, Torey Van Oot (2023-11-08). "Progressive candidates scored major wins in the Minneapolis City Council election". Axios. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  20. ^ Halter, Nick (2023-11-08). "Andrea Jenkins wins reelection to Minneapolis City Council". Axios. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  21. ^ Wiita, Tommy (2023-05-22). "Minneapolis City Council President Andrea Jenkins fails to get DFL endorsement". Bring Me The News. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  22. ^ DeYoe, Alexandra (2025-05-30). "Political student groups frustrated by Minneapolis DFL's poor communication, bad planning". The Minnesota Daily. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  23. ^ Winter, Deena (2025-05-02). "Judge rules Minneapolis Ward 2 DFL convention can take place on Saturday". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  24. ^ Jackson, Kyeland (2025-05-04). "Minneapolis Ward 2 DFL convention ends with no City Council endorsement". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  25. ^ Winter, Deena (2023-03-28). "Minneapolis DFL throws out delegates for City Council due to 'irregularities'". Minnesota Reformer. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  26. ^ a b Minneapolis, City of (1993-11-02). "1993 General Election results". City of Minneapolis. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  27. ^ a b c d Minneapolis, City of (1997-11-04). "1997 General Election results". City of Minneapolis. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  28. ^ Minneapolis, City of (2001-11-06). "2001 General Election results". City of Minneapolis. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  29. ^ Minneapolis, City of (2005-09-13). "2005 Primary Election results". City of Minneapolis. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
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