If there was ever any question about the fire in the belly of the Democratic Party, it would be put to rest by those observing this week’s Democratic National Committee (DNC) Summer Meeting in the Midwestern battleground state of Minnesota.
The North Star State has a rich history of political citizen activism, consistently ranked as the highest or near-highest state in voter turnout. It is home to former Vice Presidents and US Senators Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale, and currently boasts 2024 Democratic VP nominee and Governor Tim Walz, and former presidential candidate and US Senator Amy Klobuchar.
DNC Chair Ken Martin, elected to a four-year term in January, led a two-decade-long winning streak of electing Democrats statewide as Chair of the Minnesota-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party.
The high-energy reunion kicked off Sunday with the meeting of the Association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC) – the arm of the national party that focuses on building, supporting, and empowering all 57 State Democratic Parties.
Sunday night’s official opening reception, hosted by Martin, who also served as ASDC President for eight years, took place at the Minnesota State Fair. The somewhat magical setting — replete with corndogs, cheese curds, and homegrown speeches — was a welcome reminder that we were in the true heartland of the country, far from the national news and noise coming out of Washington, DC.
The national party’s bi-annual gathering — a political passion fest held this year over four days at the Hilton in downtown Minneapolis — brings together DNC members from every state, the territories, and Democrats Abroad to conduct party business and to reconnect in person with other leaders, supporters, press, and guests over the state of play of our country.
On Monday, in the first of two general sessions this week, Martin gave a fiery speech, challenging members to fight against the "fascism" of President Donald Trump.
The Party, he said, has to stop trying to win arguments over policy and politics and do more to win future elections. “I’m sick and tired of this Democratic party bringing a pencil to a knife fight. We cannot be the only party that plays by the rules anymore. We’ve got to stand up and fight. We’re not going to have a hand tied behind our back anymore.
“For years, there were values that united us regardless of ideology. Values that were not Republican or Democrat, but American. ... Now we have a ‘dictator-in-chief’ who has thrown those values into the dustbin of history.”
In addition to the standard party business of formally electing At-Large DNC and Executive Committee Members, Caucus and Council officers, and ratifying the Chairman’s Standing Committee nominees, several high-profile guests addressed the body. Among them was Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu, who led the recent exodus of State Representatives from Austin in order to prevent Lone Star Republicans from securing the quorum needed to pass an unconstitutional mid-decade redistricting map at the behest of Trump.
The Texas redistricting fight, which was the center of much discussion at the DNC meeting, drew national attention as a cause celeb for preserving democracy and maintaining fair elections amid Trump’s new quest to gerrymander congressional maps in targeted states to pick up additional GOP seats.
There was also a great sadness that was felt throughout the meeting room Monday as Walz, Klobuchar, Martin, and other Minnesota public figures paid tribute to former Minnesota State House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were brutally murdered in a politically motivated assassination in June.
State Senator John Hoffman who, along with his wife Yvette, were also victims of the shooting rampage that night, spoke as well – in his first appearance since surviving the nine-bullet assault.
“As we work to reclaim not only what it means to be Democrats, but public officials ... at this critical juncture in America. The challenge that we do face ... something that we all feel. That creeping erosion of the public trust. That’s not just in institutions, but that’s in each other. And in this climate, we must recommit ourselves to governance over grievance, to service over self, and to action over anger ... recognizing that our work is bigger than any of us. When we govern with humility and humanity, we restore trust.”
– MN State Senator John Hoffman
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Via DemList.
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