On February 1, 2020, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) caucus of the Minnesota State Senate elected Susan Kent (D) to serve as the party’s minority leader for the upcoming legislative session. Kent won the post over fellow senator Tom Bakk (D). Kent will serve as the DFL’s first female leader in the state Senate.
In Minnesota, the minority leader acts as the spokesperson for the minority party’s policy positions and helps direct the minority party’s overall legislative agenda. The current party composition of the Minnesota State Senate is 35 Republicans and 32 Democrats.
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota is an affiliate of the national Democratic Party. It traces its roots in the state to the 1920s when the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party ran candidates on a platform of agrarian reform, the public ownership of railroads and a series of protections for farmers and union workers. The Farmer-Labor Party united with the Minnesota Democratic Party in 1944.
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