Introduction
State Central Committee Members,
MAGA Republicans in Washington and Minnesota have been attempting to commit administrative coups of our government. Our DFL legislators are on the front lines of this battle, and now more than ever is a time for bold leadership from all members of our party, especially our leadership.
This is why I am announcing that I am running to be your next DFL Secretary. I believe in our democracy, and I believe our DFL is the party OF democracy. While we celebrate the election of Party Chair Ken Martin to the DNC, I believe it is wise to have an open conversation about the future of our party, and the future of our fight against fascism and the MAGA GOP party.
I am running to be our next DFL Secretary because I believe that our Minnesota DFL can and will be a place for all of us - but we must have inclusive leadership from the top to make it our reality. I have spent my life advocating for our community and finding ways to bring people together across areas of divide to accomplish great things. I look forward to doing this as your next DFL Secretary.
Within the DFL party, I current serve as the Communications Officer for Senate District 50 in Edina and Bloomington and was elected to represent SD50 on the SCC. I serve on the board of the Stonewall DFL Caucus, on the party Nominations Committee, and I am a member of several other community caucuses.
Outside of my DFL involvement, I am a community organizer, volunteer, and advocate. As a founding member of Bloomington Pride MN, I helped establish this annual festival and am on the board of the newly formed non-profit. As an appointed municipal Human Rights Commissioner, I advocated and secured adoption of an ordinance to protect LGBTQIA+ youth and vulnerable adults from conversion therapy in the city of Bloomington. I was on the board of Indivisible MN03, helping create the conditions which enabled us to elect the first Democrat to Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District in over 50 years. I volunteer as a pro-choice abortion clinic escort, as a coach for elementary school runners, and as a parent volunteer in my childrens’ public schools. It’s a pleasure to give back to a community that provides my family with so much.
I’m no stranger to lacing up my shoes and knocking doors for our DFL endorsed candidates, as well as our municipal and school board candidates with aligned values. Through hard work, I helped change the face of power in Bloomington, which has made more equitable zoning and housing policy, action on racial equity, and commitments towards a more sustainable future possible.
If elected, I am eager to get to work fulfilling the duties of the DFL Secretary. In addition, I hope to exercise my leadership beyond the role to benefit DFLers across our state:
I will listen and learn from DFLers across our state to ensure that the party is meeting our needs and allocating our resources equitably.
I will advocate for full inclusion for all members of our party. This includes working with Party Officers, staff, and DFLers to expand accessibility to our party through captions, interpreters, fully accessible meeting spaces, default accommodations for sensory needs, just to name a few.
I believe there is a place in our party for all members who seek to give their volunteer time to our big tent organization. I commit to only taking on roles within my capacity and making space for current members and future leaders to rise into leadership roles within our organization - at all Organizational Unit levels, Community Caucuses and Outreach Organizations, and in party leadership roles including the State Central Committee (SCC).
I will utilize the party building and campaign building skills I have developed through trainings with Women Winning, Vote Run Lead, and FairVote Minnesota to share best practices as we organize in every Senate District across our state.
I will defend and advocate for our Caucus and Convention Process, fight for the integrity of our endorsement processes, and receive feedback on how we can make our endorsement process more accessible to new candidates and new members of our party.
As we look forward to the Business Conference on March 29th at Edina High School, I would love to connect with you and earn your support. I am eager to hear about your vision for the future of our DFL party. You can email me at AnitaSmi...@gmail.com or call/text at 612.423.0186. My campaign website is: https://www.anitasmithsonmn.com/about-me
I want to thank all of the candidates who have stepped up to run for party offices, and to thank our SCC members for what I hope will be a productive and healing series of conversations about our future. I know it is not easy to put your name out there, and I know our party is better because of these discussions.
In DFL Solidarity,
Anita Smithson (she/her)
SD50 DFL Communications Officer
SD50 DFL SCC Member
Stonewall DFL Communications Officer
Nominations Committee member
Candidate for DFL Secretary