Just a few hours after longtime DFL Party Chair Ken Martin was elected on Saturday to lead the Democratic National Committee, the competition to replace him back in Minnesota began without delay.
Richard Carlbom, deputy chief of staff for Gov. Tim Walz, launched his campaign website for DFL Party Chair that afternoon, and received an endorsement from his boss before nightfall.
“Richard has the organizing, coalition building, fundraising and messaging experience needed to lead the Minnesota DFL Party,” Walz said in a statement. “I ask my fellow Democrats to support his bid to be our next Chair of the MN DFL.”
Other names in the mix include Ron Harris, a DNC committeeman from Minnesota and former state campaign director for the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz ticket. Harris told a Star Tribune reporter at the DNC meeting in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 1 that he was “strongly considering” running for the position.
Walz’s ringing endorsement of Carlbom, one of his longtime political confidantes, comes as the two-term Democratic governor is transitioning from a national defeat at the hands of Donald Trump to launching a possible reelection bid in Minnesota.
Carlbom served as political director for Walz during his first term in Congress in 2007. He then bounced around as an advisor and fundraiser for various Democratic politicians and causes before being tapped by Walz again to join his gubernatorial staff in 2023.
While Carlbom is rolling out a string of endorsements from DFL insiders this week, it’s not yet clear if or how many opponents he will have in the election to replace Martin, who led the Minnesota DFL Party for the last 14 years. In addition to Ron Harris expressing interest, multiple outlets have reported that longtime DFL operative Alana Petersen is considering running to replace Martin. Petersen is a former deputy chief of staff for Al Franken and Sen. Tina Smith. She is married to Walz’s commissioner of agriculture, Thom Petersen.
Whoever takes the reins from the departing Martin will inherit a political machine that has won every statewide election dating back to 2010, and has routinely outspent Republicans, albeit with the help of labor unions and Alida Messinger, a Rockefeller family heiress and ex-wife of Mark Dayton, who regularly donates millions to DFL-allied candidates and causes every election cycle.
Walz raised nearly $1 million last year as he leans into possible third term bid
Carlbom’s bid to replace Martin comes as Walz prepares a potential run for a historic third term as governor.
Last week, a year-end campaign finance report showed Walz is continuing to build a war chest for the 2026 election cycle. His campaign committee reported raising $966,000 last year.
Walz rolled out a fundraising blitz via text message to campaign supporters this week, asking them to donate to his campaign and using his newfound disdain for Elon Musk as a hook.
“Tim Walz here. A billionaire tech mogul shouldn’t be running our government, but that’s exactly what’s happening … This is what Trump’s America looks like: Billionaires are in charge, special interests are calling the shots, and working people are left to fend for themselves. We can’t sit back and let it happen.”
Walz then asked recipients to “donate here” by clicking a link to his campaign website.
Flanagan rumored to have made phone calls exploring DFL chair run
While Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s name continues to be listed on Walz’s campaign committee filing, several media outlets reported last November that the two have had a falling out of sorts.
Over the weekend, sources close to the DFL Party’s inner circles told Alpha News that as Carlbom was launching his bid for DFL chair, Lt. Gov. Flanagan was making phone calls to confidantes in the party about whether she should explore running to replace Martin.
“I have no interest in running for DFL party chair; I like my job as lieutenant governor,” Flanagan said through a spokesperson.
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
