The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party convention is underway in Rochester. Among other party business, the main event will be voting on candidates to endorse for the August primary.
On Friday, delegates endorsed candidates for attorney general, secretary of state and governor.
Current Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who is running for a third term, was endorsed for attorney general Friday night.
“Keith Ellison shows up every day to represent the people of Minnesota. He’s fought to keep our kids safe, our rights intact, and our state shielded from the actions of a reckless president,” said Minnesota DFL Chair Richard Carlbom. “Whether it’s standing up to Big Pharma or taking on those who try to defraud our public programs, he’s always been a champion for the little guy — that’s who he is.”
The vote to endorse a gubernatorial candidate went into the early hours of Saturday, with longtime Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar securing the 60% threshold over Kobey Layne. On Friday, Klobuchar announced Ben Schierer as her running mate.
In the final endorsement of the night, Steve Simon was endorsed as the lone candidate for secretary of state.
On Saturday, endorsements for U.S. Senate and auditor will be up.
Following some changes to the endorsement schedule, the final day, Sunday, no longer has any endorsements happening.
One of the biggest shakeups for the DFL convention happened earlier this week when Angie Craig, who is a DFL candidate for U.S. Senate, announced that she would not be seeking the party endorsement and therefore not attending the convention. Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are both running for the seat on the DFL side. Flanagan said she will still be attending the convention.
The seat is open after Sen. Tina Smith announced she would not be seeking reelection.
