ST.PAUL — Five days out from the Nov. 5 general election, women of the DFL held a “Get Out The Vote” rally kicking off their annual bus tour across the state to rally voters.
On Thursday, Oct. 31, a rainy Halloween morning, DFL leaders gathered at the House of Labor in St. Paul for the start of a 20-stop tour consisting of rallies and door-knocking across the state. Among the DFL leaders present were political figures Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Rep. Ilhan Omar and House Speaker Melissa Hortman.
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During the kickoff, DFL leaders gave short speeches flaunting Minnesota’s “blue streak” in presidential elections while emphasizing the importance of these last five days before the election.
“We’ve got five days, people,” Omar said Thursday. “Minnesota has had a long track record of staying blue, and we are not turning back.”
DFL Chairman Ken Martin joked that one of the reasons he feels confident this year is because of candidates like Klobuchar, and how “even if she’s 20 points ahead, she runs like she’s 20 points behind.”
“Nothing stops the DFL, and I think we have seen that election after election,” Klobuchar said. “I think that one of the things about the DFL is that we have united our party, and we have different views in our party … but we come together because we know the purpose is more important than anything divides us.”
Klobuchar said that from her time doorknocking this election season, she thinks Republicans and Independents in Minnesota will get out to vote on the issue of reproductive rights.
Martin addressed the crowd briefly at the rally, saying Minnesotans need to “dig deep”, despite the historic DFL stronghold.
“Do not just count on the fact that we have the highest voter turnout,” Martin said. “Do not just count on the fact that we haven’t lost a statewide election in 14 years. Do not just count on the fact that we have great candidates and great leaders. The reality is this election, even in Minnesota, is close.”
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Martin said that in the last few days before the election, the DFL is keeping a close eye on many state races, such as east metro seats 41A and 41B, northern Minnesota seats 11A, 3B and 3A and incumbents in the northern and western suburbs.
“We have a lot at stake, not just the presidential race. Our congressional seats, and then our legislative majorities, which we need to keep those trifectas, and many of those districts are really close right now,” Martin said. “So this final push is going to be the difference between us being in the majority in the House or the Senate or not.”
The bus was set to make its way to Stillwater, Cottage Grove, Shakopee and Northfield on Thursday. On Friday, the bus is scheduled to stop in Winona, Rochester, Mankato and St. Louis Park, where a reproductive rights rally will take place.
The bus will make its way back to the Cities on Saturday, when it will hold a labor rally in St. Paul. Then it’s off to Coon Rapids, St. Cloud and Moorhead. On Sunday, the bus will make its way up north, where it’s set to stop in White Earth for a rally, then off to Bemidji, Grand Rapids and Duluth.
The tour will end on Monday, when it plans to go through Metro areas including Brooklyn Park, Wayzata, Burnsville and Minneapolis before finishing off in St. Paul for “Midnight Madness.”
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