ST. PAUL, Minn. – After 14 years Minnesota Democrats have a new state chair. The party’s central committee chose Richard Carlborn, who has been deputy chief of staff to Governor Tim Walz, as the new state chair. He was recommended by the governor. Carlborn succeeds long-term state DFL chair Ken Martin, who recently was elected to lead the party’s national operations. As state chair, Carlborn said he would:
> Build an off-year organizing team immediately to assist local DFLers instead of waiting until 2026.
> Adopt a long-term relational approach to expand the DFL coalition and build trust with voters.
> Improve the DFL Rapid Response War Room to hold Republican legislators accountable.
After college Carlborn was elected mayor of St. Joseph in southwest Minnesota and became a Democratic field organizer. In 2012 he was campaign manager for Congressman Tim Walz, who overcame a national Republican wave to win reelection. Carlbom then was the campaign manager for the campaign that made Minnesota the first state to defeat a constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage. Carlbom has been Walz’s deputy chief of staff since 2023.
Carlborn. Active with the party since college at St. John’s University.
Verbatim
Carlbom: “Minnesotans are fed up with Donald Trump and Elon Musk, and we are going to help them get involved right now, not two years from now. This is our chance to grow our party and help Minnesotans join the fight for a better future. Democrats across the country have looked to the Minnesota DFL as a model for how to win and improve people’s lives, and we are going to build on those successes together.”