31 May 2024
***update 4:49 p.m.***
Following a prayer, pledge of allegience, national anthem and land acknowledgment, DFL Chair Ken Martin kicks off with a speech that largely sticks to DFL messaging. Basically, they’ve done good things. The party works on “how to help people, not if we should help them,” he said.
He gave a little history on the Democratic Party, once it moved towards civil rights, the party saw conservative members mostly leave the party to join Republicans. He specifically referred to “Dixiecrats,” or southern Republicans.
He’s asking for debate but unity from party members.
“We can disagree and still come together and be unified around our values,” he said.
Martin also takes a swing at South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for killing her dog, an anecdote she outlined in a recent book.
He is not mincing his words with what he thinks about the Republicans, calling them “authoritarians.”
Martin also outlines DFL legislative successes including a program to give school children free meals.
Big support and claps from the crowd when Martin mentioned his support for Democrat politicians like Sen. Amy Klobuchar and President Joe Biden.
The DFL, holding a slight majority in the state House and Senate, has not backed off its aggressive legislative policy. This speech from Martin points to DFLers running on their agenda without apologies.
Big round of applause to Martin saying the party should continue to fight for the rights of others.
The mood here is decidedly different than the Republican State Convention earlier this month. Lots of cheers and claps compared to mostly arguing during the GOP’s first convention day,
Huge round of applause when someone held up a newspaper at the podium. The headline, “Guilty,” refers to former President Donald Trump being convicted of 34 felonies.
DULUTH — Delegates have begun to trickle into the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center for the DFL State Convention, set to gavel in at 4 p.m.
This year, delegates and party leaders will discuss campaign strategies, form a cohesive policy platform, endorse a candidate for U.S. Senate, and nominate national delegates for the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.
Today, delegates will mostly tackle administrative tasks such as electing convention co-chairs, adopting their agenda and accepting committee reports.
Delegates are also expected to nominate Sen. Amy Klobuchar for U.S. Senate on Saturday morning, though convention agendas are subject to change. Klobuchar began her first term as senator in 2007.
Before the state convention, the DFL state convention committees met on May 18 to finalize committee reports regarding, among other things, the party’s platform.
Delegates must get through a list of 113 agenda items before Sunday evening to fully flesh out the party’s platform.
There are five of those items related to the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza. Some call for a ceasefire or ending financial support to Israel until it complies with international law, while others are focused on the right of Israel to exist as a state.
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