SD63 Update for May 2

In this Update:

• Convention wrapup
• Get with the message
• CD5 DFL officer and state standing committee positions
• Accommodations at the State Party Convention
• Today’s public debate playbook tip
• SD63 DFL officers for 2026-2028
• Resolved!
• Volunteer with SD63
• Mission statement and editorial policies

Convention wrapup

Thanks to all of the delegates, alternates, and volunteers who made the 2026 SD63 DFL convention such a success!

It will suprise no one that we endorsed all three of our incumbent legislators Samantha Sencer-Mura, Emma Greenman, and Zaynab Mohamed for re-election. Their work in these difficult years has been outstanding, and the convention was justifiably proud to support them all by acclamation. We can look forward to campaigning with them across the state this summer and fall!

The resolutions process which started at our precinct caucuses continued at our convention. Delegates considered the dozens of resolutions sent from our caucuses, and selected sixty-two by ballot. We’ve sent these to the State DFL Platform Committee, which will prepare a ballot from which State Convention delegates will build the statewide platform and action agenda. The sixty-two ballots selected by SD63’s delegates are listed below.

The convention also elected a slate of local party officers for the 2026-2028 term. These volunteers will organize doorknocks and phonebanks with endorsed candidates, reach out to voters both in our district and across the state, and coordinate volunteering with the local party. You can find our local DFL officers for this term listed below.

Get with the message

The State DFL has a new program to help us be effective communicators: the DFL Message Memo. It’s your weekly guide to one issue, with expert ideas for talking points, quotations, and social media images. Copy theirs, or edit them as a starting point and make them more your own.

The Message Memo is drafted and finalized each Friday for the week ahead — this week’s memo focuses on Minnesota’s community spirit.

CD5 DFL officer and state standing committee positions

Want to get involved in managing the DFL beyond our local unit? Apply today for roles to be elected at CD5 DFL’s convention on May 9: CD5 officer positions, and membership on a number of statewide committees. But be quick! The application form closes at 5pm on Sunday, May 3.

Accommodations at the State Party Convention

Are you going to the State Party Convention at the end of the month? Do you need some form of accommodation to participate fully? The deadline for requesting accommodations is May 18 — let the State DFL hear about your needs today!

Today’s public debate playbook tip

Our new SD63 Vice-Chair Pamela Twiss helps run a local study group on the Science of Messaging. You can find more information or sign up for it here. Or, sign up with SD63’s Writers and Data Wranglers volunteer team — we’ll get our local teams going soon!

SD63 DFL officers for 2026-2028

Congratulations to our local DFL officers for 2026-2028!

• Chair John Maraist
• Vice-Chair Pamela Twiss
• Outreach Officer Simba Elmi
• Treasurer John Adams Giardino
• Secretary Nicole Adams Giardino
• Directors Tim Bonhan, Catherine Holtzclaw, Ayana Smith-Kooiman, Alex Valen, Ian Vaver
• State Central Committee Delegates John Adams Giardino, Nicole Adams Giardino, Bibi Black, Julie Doherty, Julian Janisch, Anne Jones, Ayana Smith-Kooiman, Michele St. Martin, Alex Valen

Join the team! We are still looking for:

• A Fundraising Director to oversee our picnic, post-election pizza party, and spring events. We have a good foundation of annual events, and need someone to help us maintain and develop them.
• A Technology Officer to support our hybrid meetings, and assist Central Committee members with the use SD63-related tools.
• A Communications Director to take on parts of our social media, this newsletter, and other communications.

Send an email to John today if you are interested in any of these roles.

Resolved!

At our convention last week, delegates cast ballots on the resolutions approved by precinct caucuses in February. The 62 resolutions with the most votes at the convention will be passed up to the State DFL’s Platform Committee, which will propose an updated platform to the state convention at the end of May. Our 62 resolutions are that the DFL should…

1. Support passage of the Social Security Expansion Act (SSEA) to make Social Security solvent, fair and equitable for the next 75+ years, by raising the taxable income cap to $250,000 and increasing some benefits.
2. Support legislation that limits the ability of corporations to spend money or other resources to influence elections.
3. Work to end Citizens United.
4. Amend the platform section on Civil, Human, and Constitutional Rights to include “the rights of trans, non-binary, and two-spirit individuals” to access gender-affirming care.
5. Support legislation that provides affordable childcare for families.
6. Oppose any sale or acquisition of Minnesota’s public electric utilities by private equity firms or other profit-driven investors, to ensure that Minnesota’s energy future serves the public good, not private profit.
7. Divest from corporations fueling genocide and human rights abuses.
8. Affirm responsibility to future generations in decisions related to climate, education, infrastructure, public health, and public investment; and to support policies and governance practices that consider long-term impacts, promote sustainability and resilience, and ensure future generations inherit a healthy environment, strong public institutions, and a fair chance to thrive.
9. Support Ranked Choice Voting Local Option legislation – allowing all cities, counties, and school districts to adopt Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) if they wish.
10. Urge the federal government to end its $31B annual subsidies to fossil fuel companies and instead promote and subsidize the development of clean energy.
11. Support the permanent protection of the Boundary Waters and its headwaters.
12. Support Medical Aid in Dying (MAID), allowing terminally ill, mentally capable adults to have access to end-of-life options.
13. Support a public education system that is fully funded and achieves education equity.
14. Support the return of unlawfully seized public lands to Indian tribes within the boundaries of Minnesota.
15. Support permanent protections, including appropriate state and federal legislative and administrative actions, to prevent sulfide-ore mining and other polluting commercial development within watersheds that drain into the BWCAW and Lake Superior.
16. Support legislation that provides elder care that is accessible, affordable, and dignified.
17. Support legislation that limits corporate ownership of single-family homes.
18. Support legislation that prohibits all law enforcement officers from concealing their identity, requiring they visibly display their name, badge number and/or other identifying marks visible and must be able to be tracked by judicial warrant; and that failure to meet this requirement be classified as a civil infraction.
19. Support adhering to all treaties with indigenous Minnesota tribes as the “supreme law of the land” as stated in the U.S. Constitution.
20. Support the prohibition of the sale, transfer, or commercialization of individuals’ personal data without explicit consent.
21. Affirm that individual freedom and opportunity depend on access to public goods, including education, clean air and water, public health, reliable infrastructure, and democratic participation; and to support responsible public investment and accountable governance to ensure these shared foundations are accessible, affordable, and available to all.
22. Support Hennepin County’s efforts at the legislature to restore Hennepin Healthcare to fiscal stability and continue leadership in the provision of healthcare, particularly to low-income residents.
23. Support the prohibition of the sharing of data from AI-enabled surveillance systems, including Flock cameras and similar tools, with immigration enforcement agencies, including ICE, without a judicial warrant.
24. Support legislation that ensures safe drinking water in all Minnesota homes by mapping and replacing all lead drinking water pipes by 2033.
25. Support Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) affirming that Tribal Nations retain the right to determine their development priorities and exercise self-determination in accordance with their cultural, social, economic, and political systems.
26. Support the development of statewide sustainable transportation with policies that prioritize reducing vehicle miles traveled and promoting mass transit, safe pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and charging infrastructure to electrify transportation.
27. Support a guaranteed healthcare system for all.
28. Support a universal, single payer healthcare plan that ensures access to affordable, high-quality healthcare for all, regardless of age, income, employment, or health status.
29. Support banning the sale, purchase, transfer, loan, transportation, distribution, importation, and manufacture of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
30. Support legislation that requires that prisoners be reclassified as employees if they are working while incarcerated.
31. Support increasing funding for special education to fairly compensate special education teachers, reduce class sizes, and increase classroom support.
32. Support policies that fully fund Minnesota’s public schools and promote educator workforce sustainability.
33. Support prohibiting federal immigration enforcement agents from concealing their identities.
34. Support Ranked Choice Voting for state and federal Elections.
35. Support legislation for the continued funding and expansion of Amtrak service within Minnesota, designating funding that: a) adds more daily trips and faster speeds to the Borealis service between Chicago and St. Paul; b) restores full funding for the Northern Lights Express to Duluth to purchase new trains; c)adds passenger service from the Twin Cities to Fargo-Moorhead along the existing Empire Builder route; and d) adds passenger service from the Twin Cities south through Des Moines, IA and to Kansas City, MS.
36. Support legislation that contains strong water protections in order to protect Manoomin/Psiŋ/wild rice.
37. Support a comprehensive statutory framework—up to and including a moratorium—on the construction of new hyperscale data centers before any such facilities may proceed; and that such framework must require: a) full public transparency and engagement; b) robust environmental review in the form of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS); c) clear siting standards; d) equitable economic policy; and e) enforceable guarantees that Minnesota’s climate and carbon-free energy goals, natural resources, and people–not corporations–determine the future of data center development in our state.
38. Support efforts to increase the minimum wage to match the increased cost of living at both state and national levels.
39. Prioritize the protection of LGBTQIA+ rights, including access to gender-affirming healthcare for minors and work to ensure that all residents can access the care they need without fear of discrimination or legal action.
40. Support a Green New Deal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions through a fair and just energy transition by investing in infrastructure, efficiency, and industry across the state, creating good union jobs, recycling our energy dollars within our local economies, and ensuring general prosperity and economic security for all Minnesotans.
41. Reaffirm due process as a constitutional right.
42. Support holding Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers accountable and prosecute them for crimes.
43. Affirm the importance of environmental accountability, including identifying, addressing, and remediating legacy pollution, and to support policies that prioritize cleanup, protect affected communities, and ensure that responsibility for environmental harm is not shifted onto the public or future generations.
44. Support legislation that bans the arrest or detainment of any individual without a judicial warrant by DHS agents within 1000 feet of a school, daycare, university or college, hospital or clinic, any building providing social services, courthouse, voting location, and place of worship, with any violation subject to a civil penalty.
45. Make passage of the Minnesota Equal Rights Amendment a priority in 2026.
46. Support legislation that would require corporations to pay for negative climate and environmental impacts, and use any proceeds in the communities affected by them.
47. Support the banning of law enforcement use of tear gas, bear spray, flash-bangs, long-range acoustic devices and other devices known to cause excessive harm when used on crowds.
48. Direct the Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI) to divest from all financial interests complicit in human rights violations in Israel and occupied Palestinian territories, specifically by: a) divesting from all direct holdings in Israeli Bonds and companies that manufacture weapons, surveillance technology, or equipment documented in human rights violations; b) establishing human rights investment screening criteria that excludes investment in companies that provide military equipment used in violations of international humanitarian law; constructing or maintaining infrastructure in illegally occupied territories; or providing financial services that directly fund military operations found to violate international humanitarian law; c) review all state procurement and law enforcement contracts for surveillance systems, facial recognition technology, predictive policing software, and training programs with foreign military or security forces; d) engaging actively managed fund managers to remove companies meeting the above criteria or create alternative funds, following the precedent of MN Statute 11A for Sudan divestment; e) ensuring transparency through quarterly public reports on divestment progress and annual reports to the legislature; and f) completing implementation of direct holdings divestment within 12 months and full screening criteria implementation within 18 months.
49. Support legislation that incentivizes affordable senior housing options.
50. Support the claw back of $170 billion provided to federal agencies for immigration enforcement in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act.
51. Support legislation that reduces the incidence of Elder Financial Exploitation (EFE).
52. Support a demand for a full investigation into the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti that involves local and state investigatory agencies.
53. Support the right to a healthy and sustainable environment, and recognize that clean water and sanitation are human rights.
54. Support legislation that prioritizes the quality of life of people and well-being of our communities over corporate profits.
55. Oppose inhumane and unjust actions that threaten entire immigrant communities or deprive them of basic human rights.
56. Support the prohibition of mining the BWCA watershed in perpetuity.
57. Withhold endorsement of candidates who accept funds from American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and/or who pass legislative funding for the state of Israel.
58. Support a moratorium on the building or expansion of ICE detention centers in Minnesota.
59. Support legislation that ensures solvency of Social Security.
60. Support legislation that passes the LGBTQ+ Long-Term Care Bill of Rights into state law to ensure that 2SLGBTQIA+ and people living with HIV are protected from discrimination in assisted living and long-term care settings.
61. Support the full funding of high-quality public education.
62. Support a federal ban on masks, firearms, and chemical agents in civil immigration enforcement.

There were an unprecedented number of resolution emerging from caucuses — over 300 different ones! Thanks to the convention delegates for working through our large ballots to produce this impressive final list.

Volunteer with SD63

Want to be more involved with the SD63 DFL? Sign up for one of our volunteer teams, and we’ll let you know when there’s an opportunity.

• The Campaigning and Outreach team — where we bring work that involves talking to others about our DFL values and candidates. The needs we bring to this group will include both face-to-face contact and phone contact, but will always be aimed at direct interaction with other individuals. For example: doorknocking, phonebanking, contacting neighbors (often with precinct teams), staffing tables at events, and walking with clipboards at events.
• The Planners team — working more in the background to take care of the logistics and preparations for things we do. For example: organizing issue forums and discussion groups, coordinating town halls, staffing sign-in tables, posting flyers for events, and brainstorming and planning fundraisers.
• The Writers and Data Wranglers team — working individually (or sometimes in small groups) to produce material both for immediate distribution and for later use. For example: writing letter-to-the-editor, or templates for others to build their own letters; designing flyers; researching, creating, and entering new data sets; and checking and updating existing data sets.

There’s never any obligation in signing up for a team — you would be signing up to be asked for help when something comes along, not signing up to actually do any particular thing. You can leave the lists at any time. So sign up today, or reply to this email with any questions.

Our meetings

The next SD63 Central Committee meeting will be on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 6:30pm. Our meetings are hybrid: location TBA, and the online session will be via Zoom.

All SD63 Central Committee meetings are open to the public.

Support SD63

Donations to SD63 are used to run caucuses and conventions, maintain web and email servers, support campaigns, and hold issue forums and other community events. We have no paid employees.

• Support us online at secure.actblue.com/donate/sd63dfl

• Support us by check to MN DFL Senate District 63, and posted to

   MN DFL Senate District 63
  Attn: Treasurer
  3616 41st Avenue South
  Minneapolis, MN 55406