Minnesota DFL News

Ken Martin Kicks Off Weekly Podcast - Chair's Corner

Tune in weekly to catch DFL Chair, Ken Martin give an update on DFL happenings and brief update on the upcoming week.  This week, Ken gives an overview of the week in St. Paul and talks about the importance of next Tuesday's precinct caucuses.

DFL Chair Ken Martin Strongly Urges Legislature to Close Campaign Finance Loopholes

DFL Chair Ken Martin issued a statement today in response to the Campaign Finance Board’s ruling on the complaint filed last Monday regarding $70,000 paid by the Republican Party of Minnesota to Sen. Dave Thompson that was not disclosed in Thompson’s campaign finance reports.

"The ruling by the Campaign Finance Board draws attention to a legal loophole that has allowed elected leaders like Senator Thompson to sidestep disclosure requirements that are there to make campaigns and government more transparent.  This loophole needs to be closed immediately.”

“A bill introduced in the House by Representative Ryan Winkler would close that loophole. In the last year, we have witnessed a Republican Party pushing ethical boundaries and forcing Minnesotans to ask if the Minnesota GOP is paying their candidates to run for office.  Rep. Winkler's bill would eliminate that practice by forcing elected officials to disclose all sources of income.

"When you have employees of a political party also working for the House, Senate or Joint Legislative Commissions, it raises serious ethical concerns about whether that person is working for the best interest of the party or the best interest of our state.  We saw the consequences of this practice last session with a former GOP Senate staffer. 

“At a time when so many Minnesotans have lost their trust in government, Rep. Winkler’s bill would help restore public confidence and hold elected leaders accountable on both sides of the aisle, and I encourage the legislature to pass it.”

Join Your Neighbors at Your Precinct Caucus

The precinct caucus is the first level of the DFL Party structure. A precinct is comprised of the voting precinct which can be a township, an entire town, or a voting precinct within a larger community. The precinct caucuses are a foundational pillar to the DFL Party's grassroots history because all Minnesota constituents have the ability to participate at this level.

At your precinct caucus, you cast your vote in a Presidential Preference Ballot, propose resolutions that you want included in the DFL platform, and elect delegates to your local conventions. Candidates or elected officials often tour different caucuses to meet with constituents. If you are elected a delegate to your local convention, you will be part of the DFL endorsement process that chooses which candidates the DFL Party will support.

Caucuses will take place on Tuesday, February 7, 2012.  They officially convene at 7:00 p.m.  Registration for the caucus starts at 6:30 p.m. and the Statewide Preference ballot is from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  At 8:00 Preference ballots will be tallied and certified by the caucus. The totals will then be announced   The results will be reported to Minnesota State DFL Headquarters. Those votes will determine the allocation of Democratic National Convention Delegates.

You do not need to stay at the caucus beyond voting in the Statewide Preference Ballot, but you are encouraged to

• run as a district delegate
• sign-up to be an election judge
• propose, discuss and vote on resolutions

If you want to submit a resolution to be considered for inclusion in the party platform, you can use the Platform Resolution Form (Word) (PDF). If you cannot attend your caucus but wish to be nominated for an elected position (such as convention delegate or party officer), use the Letter Nomination Form (PDF).

Any Minnesotan, who will be eligible to vote by November 6, 2012, and is not an active member of another political party (or attending another political party’s caucus in 2012), can attend and vote at the DFL caucus.  A 16 or 17 year old, who will not be 18 by November 6, 2012, may also participate in general caucus business. However, they may not vote in the Statewide Preference ballot, or vote for delegates to Organizing Unit conventions.

The first thing to do is to run for delegate at your precinct caucus.  In most cases, all this takes is volunteering to be a delegate.  The precinct elects delegates to Organizing Unit conventions (organizing units are generally a county or a senate district, but there are some exceptions).  Organizing Unit conventions elect delegates to the State and Congressional District Conventions.

Delegates at the State DFL Convention will vote to endorse DFL candidates for statewide office. In 2012, the convention will endorse a candidate for US Senate.  A candidate must receive 60% of the vote to be endorsed at the convention.

Happy Holidays from the Minnesota DFL!

Happy Holidays!

32,000 More Minnesota Residents Now Have Access to Health Care Thanks to Affordable Care Act

Nationwide health care law helped 2.5 million young adults

St. Paul – Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided state-by-state numbers showing that the Affordable Care Act continues to significantly increase the number of young adults who have health insurance,  helping 32,000 young adults here in Minnesota and 2.5 million around the country.

Before the Affordable Care Act, more young Americans lacked health insurance than any other age group – accounting for more than one in five of the uninsured.  Going without insurance put the health and finances of millions of young people at risk.  Contrary to the myth that young people don’t need health insurance, one in six young adults has a chronic disease like cancer, diabetes or asthma.  Studies show that nearly half of uninsured young adults reported problems paying their medical bills and others forwent regular care, like checkups or recommended screenings, due to cost.

President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act to put affordable, quality health insurance back within reach of all Americans.  Thanks to the new law, young adults can now stay on their parents’ plan up to age 26. 

“The numbers released this week by the CDC are good news for so many young Minnesotans and their families who no longer have to worry about receiving and affording health care while they start their careers,” said DFL Party Chair Ken Martin. “Health-care reform not only expands coverage, it also puts an end to insurance company abuses.  Already, insurance companies cannot cap or cancel coverage when someone gets sick and millions of Americans can get preventive care without copays or cost-sharing.  And, soon, it will be illegal for insurance companies to refuse to cover someone with pre-existing conditions. The Affordable Care Act is helping 32,000 young adults, and thousands of other Minnesotans every day -- that is a significant achievement and one of the many reasons I am glad that we have President Obama in the White House."

Originally, HHS projected that 1.24 million young adults would gain coverage in 2011 as a result of this part of the law. The actual numbers far exceed initial expectations.  The CDC recently announced that 2.5 million young adults now have health coverage, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. In Minnesota, that means an estimated 32,000 young Americans have access to health care because of the new law. 

Read more about this data from the National Center for Health Statistics at the CDC here: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/12/20111214d.html

A Match Made in Heaven: Pawlenty & Romney

Two flip-flopping governors ready to stick it to the middle class

St. Paul (May 20, 2011) — Today, Governor Tim Pawlenty held a press conference call to oppose the President’s efforts to create a fairer economy and allow middle class families to keep more of their hard earned money, and instead supported Mitt Romney’s plan to funnel money to the richest 1 percent. DFL Party Chair Ken Martin released this statement in response:

“Tim Pawlenty is the last person who should be speaking on the economy, given the $5 billion dollar deficit and sky-high property taxes he left the people of Minnesota, but the fact that he’s now shilling for Mitt Romney is not surprising.

“Let’s get real – the only person who flip-flops on the issues as much as Mitt Romney is Tim Pawlenty. Mitt Romney can’t even take a position on taking a position, and Tim Pawlenty had trouble taking a position on Mitt Romney.

“This is the same guy who railed against Governor Romney for instituting what he called ‘Obamneycare’ then took it back. He called Mitt Romney one of the ‘co-conspirators’ in the main charge against President Obama – but that was before Mitt Romney reversed his position on health care once again. Tim Pawlenty has flip-flopped on ethanol, healthcare and so many other issues that Minnesotans have whiplash – so is it any surprise that now he’s backing flip-flopper Mitt Romney?

"And just this week, in the latest episode of Which Mitt, Mitt Romney has changed his position once again on middle class tax cuts having previously called them just "little band-aids.

“Neither of these men can find a position that they will stick with except protecting the rich and hurting the middle class. That’s not a future that our country deserves, and it’s not a future that middle class families can afford.”

DFL Chair on Budget Forecast

ST. PAUL (December 1, 2011) –Today, the Minnesota Management and Budget office released the November budget forecast. State DFL Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:

"The economic forecast that was released today does not reflect the irresponsible borrow and spend tactics that the Republicans have used to balance our state's budget. In spite of the surplus, Minnesota still has a $2.9 billion debt to our children and schools because the Republicans decided it was easier to take money from education rather than raise taxes on the rich. Middle class families are shouldering higher property taxes because the Republicans refused to make millionaires pay their fair share. Last summer's state shutdown was completely due to the Republicans refusal to give an inch on taxes, a move which cost the state $60 million. The Republican budget strategies rely on one-time borrow and shift methods that have maxed out our state's credit card; their celebration of today's budget news is misguided."