A rift within the Minnesota DFL appears to be widening as Democrats continue to grapple with the growing influence of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the far-left.
For months, Minneapolis has been the site of an ongoing war between left-wing Democrats and even further left-wing, DSA-aligned Democrats. That war was on full display in last year’s municipal elections in Minneapolis and has continued to play out this year.
In 2025, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey fended off DSA-backed State Sen. Omar Fateh in the city’s mayoral election. Frey and Fateh are both DFLers, but neither received the DFL endorsement during last year’s campaign.
Meanwhile, four of the city council’s 13 seats were won by DSA-endorsed candidates, and three other seats were won by candidates supported by a pro-Fateh group. Two of the DSA-endorsed city council candidates were also endorsed by the DFL.
Since the new council’s term has begun, the council has passed a resolution urging the normalization of relations with Cuba, begun exploring the legalization of adult bathhouses, and is set to vote on the decriminalization of drug paraphernalia.
This week, Frey chided the council, saying, “We can’t be messing around with issues that aren’t directly relevant to the core functions of our government in the city. We’ve gotta be focusing on safety, we’ve gotta be focusing on business development and growth and retention — not Cuba and bathhouses and drug paraphernalia.”
In short, Minneapolis appears to be split between Democrats focused on supporting city commerce, and far-left Democrats who are more concerned with so-called social justice issues.
Now, a new DFL organization has emerged this month that seeks to expose DSA-aligned candidates. That group is called The Humphrey Project.
Named after former vice president and Minneapolis mayor Hubert Humphrey, the group says it is “fighting for core DFL values,” and “the DSA runs candidates on our ticket with a very different platform. We think voters should see it.”
While little is known about who is behind The Humphrey Project, or what activities it will undertake, the group is attempting to draw a distinction between what it calls “Humphrey Democrats” and the DSA.
The Humphrey Project highlighted several key issues where Humphrey Democrats and the DSA diverge. On public safety, Humphrey Democrats say they want to “fund and reform law enforcement” while the DSA wants to “defund police.”
On economics, Humphrey Democrats say they “support free markets, not central planning or crony capitalism,” while the DSA wants to “abolish capitalism and nationalize industry.”
Additionally, Humphrey Democrats say they want to “reform institutions through the Constitution” and “pass laws that help people today,” while the DSA wants to “rewrite or abolish the Constitution” and “wait for revolution rather than reform.”
Discussing foreign policy in their platform, Humphrey Democrats say the “support NATO and American global leadership,” while the DSA wants to “dismantle NATO.”
While many might welcome a greater distinction between rank-and-file Democrats and their DSA-aligned cousins, Minnesota DFL Party Chair Richard Carlbom took to social media on Thursday to denounce the Humphrey Project.
“I’ve said it on the record and I’ll keep saying it: the Minnesota DFL is a big tent party and that’s our strength,” Carlbom said in a post critical of The Humphrey Project. “We don’t win by shutting people out or drawing smaller circles.”
“We win by bringing people in,” he added. “At a moment when so much is at stake, we should be focused on addition, not subtraction. The Humphrey Project’s attacks on DFL-endorsed candidates are wrong and miss what it takes to win and govern.”
A group of DFL party caucuses also released a joint statement condemning the Humphrey Project, saying the DFL has always been a “coalition of progressives, moderates, socialists, and those in between.”
By Friday afternoon, The Humphrey Project had already deleted a social media post which highlighted their policy differences with the DSA. The Humphrey Project’s website does not have any content other than its logo and name.
A new DFL group called The Humphrey Project is working to expose Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidates in Minnesota.
In a social media post, the Humphrey Project highlighted the differences between what they call "Humphrey Democrats" and DSA candidates.
However, the… pic.twitter.com/bEhVbs5Khr
— Luke Sprinkel (@LukeSprinkel) April 17, 2026
Even outside of Minneapolis, the rift between the left and far-left in the Minnesota DFL is on full display in the DFL primary campaign for U.S. Senate.
At present, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are locked in a heated fight to become the DFL nominee for U.S. Senate. Craig is seen as the more establishment choice while Flanagan is viewed as the more left-wing option.
That contest will likely be a major indicator of whether the left, or the far-left, controls the Minnesota DFL.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
