Fellow DFL State Central Committee members,

Many of us have spent the better part of two decades trying to win back the Governors
office in Minnesota. With the recount over, we can finally say that we accomplished the
task. We have elected Mark Dayton as the new Governor.

I want to thank our outgoing leaders, Chairman Brian Melendez and Associate Chair
Donna Cassutt, for their service to our party these past six years. They have left a
fantastic legacy and I extend my personal gratitude to them for the success that they
brought to our party.

We all have a lot to be proud of at this moment, as much of the hard work that we put in
for our party paid off. This cycle was bittersweet, though; we won the Governors race
but lost control of both houses of the legislature. Our work is not done.

I am focused and determined to continue fighting for the values of our party and the
people of Minnesota. This is why I am writing today to announce my candidacy to
become the next Chair of the DFL Party -- and to ask you for your support.

The fight in front of us will be very difficult as we are now facing a strident conservative
majority both in Saint Paul and Washington D.C. The GOP and its well-funded allies will
do whatever they can to stop the efforts of our Governor and President.

We will have to prepare to make sure President Obama is re-elected and that we send
Senator Amy Klobuchar back to Washington for a second term. We will have to fight to
make sure that we take back the majority in both the Minnesota Senate and House. We
can accomplish these tasks, because we know that a grassroots party with all of us
pushing together cannot be beaten.

As you consider the direction of our party, please think about the qualities that our
party leadership should bring to the table. In order for our party to thrive we need to
have successful fundraising efforts, effective strategic messaging and communications,
and widespread coalition building. We need all of our allies involved in the process –
activists, volunteers, elected officials, and donors. I strongly believe that my experience
demonstrates that I have the qualifications that are necessary to successfully lead this
party.

I also believe strongly that the leadership of the party should work as a team to build this
organization and that is why I am excited to announce that Marge Hoffa has agreed to
run with me as Associate Chair. I have worked with Marge over the years and have
been incredibly impressed with her leadership as the Chair of the Third Congressional
District. With her addition to this team, I believe that we have the skill set necessary to
serve this great party well.

Growing up in Minnesota I learned the values of the DFL party at an early age. One of
my earliest memories is joining my Mom at an ERA march at the State Capitol in the
mid-70's. Although she's not with us anymore, she instilled in me a deep commitment to
social justice and helping the least among us.

My senior year in high school I volunteered on a college professor’s campaign for the
U.S. Senate and my life was changed forever. Paul Wellstone taught each of us that "we
all do better when we all do better". I later had an opportunity to intern for him and to this
day he remains one of my political heroes.

I served as the Field Director for the DFL during the 1998 elections. It was here during
this time, that I started my long relationships with many of you in the party. Traveling
throughout the state, working with party leaders and candidates gave me a deep
appreciation of how well run and organized our state party is. This is a testament to all of
you who have spent countless hours building this organization. I look forward to being a
continued partner with you in this endeavor.

Most recently, I worked as the Executive Director of WIN Minnesota and then served as
the Director for the Gubernatorial Recount effort. I am proud to have been a part of the
effort to elect a DFL governor and look forward to working under Mark Dayton’s
leadership.

Marrying a farm girl from Wells also instilled in me a very deep appreciation for greater
Minnesota. Countless days down on the farm with my boys are moments I will treasure
forever. My sons, Sam (8) and James (6), remind me each and every day why I fight for
our party's values - better funding for public education, quality health care for all, good
jobs in Minnesota and protecting the environment. These values we profess become
much more meaningful to me when I think of the world that I want to leave for the next
generation.

I will need all of your help to succeed in this effort. What has made the DFL great over
the past 66 years is a belief that politics is truly from the ground up.

I look forward to speaking with each of you in the coming days and weeks to exchange
ideas for the future of our party. I promise that I will work hard to earn your trust and
support when we next meet on Saturday, February 5. If I am fortunate enough to be
elected as the next chair of this great party, I will look forward to building a partnership
with you in this important effort.

All my best –

Ken Martin

P.S. – Although I hope to connect with each of you in the coming days, please don’t
hesitate to contact me on my cell (612) 483-1097, or at ken@kenmartin.org if you have
thoughts, questions, or concerns. Also, if you are interested in following this campaign
please join me on my Facebook page and/or on Twitter.