DFL can’t afford to alienate its most engaged members

The fragility of our democracy has been on full display since Donald Trump returned to the presidency. The 2025 DFL caucus and convention in Minneapolis’ Ward 2 revealed that the battle is much closer to home than it may appear.
We are dedicated members of the DFL and residents of Ward 2 who are deeply disturbed by the blatant and malicious disenfranchisement of more than 80 delegates who were stripped of their right to vote at Saturday’s convention.
As progressive DFL members, we want our local government to reflect our values. When we discovered that candidates seeking DFL endorsement in our ward were backed by Republican money, landlords, and corporate interests, many progressives like us decided to vote “no endorsement” for City Council and instead support incumbent Council Member Robin Wonsley.
Through convoluted procedural maneuvers and closed meetings, party members aligned with the We Love Minneapolis Political Action Committee (PAC) successfully blocked over 80 people from voting who don’t share support for their preferred candidates.
The DFL endorsement process spans several weeks, starting with caucus night, when neighbors gather to elect delegates for the ward convention by precinct. Participants must sign a form affirming their alignment with the DFL’s values and non-affiliation with other parties.
Many progressives believe that incumbent Council Member Robin Wonsley best reflects the DFL platform, even as she has not sought the DFL endorsement. DFLers who indicated non-binding support for Robin on caucus night and non-attendee forms gathered by Robin’s campaign were the target of the We Love MPLS PAC’s disenfranchisement efforts.
The challenged delegates were called “outside agitators” during the floor debate. One member of the credentials committee responsible for challenging the delegates said, “A group of people is invading us,” dangerous rhetoric reminiscent of Republican talking points.
Even after the We Love MPLS PAC voting block were alerted to the fact that known members of the DFL party were on the list, they decisively moved forward to strip DFL delegates of their votes.
So, who was this group of so-called “outside agitators”? The list includes a sitting elected official, Becky Alper (co-author of this op-ed), students, working-class parents, people of color, cancer survivors, and lifelong DFLers who have participated in caucuses and conventions many times before.
The ousted delegates who were accused of not being DFLers were people who donated to DFL candidates and door-knocked for DFL campaigns. They were elected by their communities and committed enough to show up on a beautiful Saturday in May to engage locally in politics, which the DFL encourages. Instead of being welcomed by a party that actively courts the young and engaged, they were summarily ejected from participating in the convention without opportunity for recourse.
Our cherished city of Minneapolis, which we also love, votes 80% Democratic. Everyone in the DFL, progressive or otherwise, should stand against the candidates and organizations employing strategies to limit participation in our party by its members. After all, democracy is fragile; unfortunately, the Ward 2 convention proved so is the DFL in Minneapolis.