A Party Divided: The Socialist Shift & The Fight For Minnesota's DFL - Darwish, Minneapolis Times [View all]

For decades, Marjorie Simon was a pillar of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party. She believed in its “big tent” philosophy and its historic commitment to working-class Minnesotans. But today, Simon says the party she once called home has been “hijacked” by radical elements—and she is now prepared to take her grievance to court. In a candid and fiery interview on the Liz Collin Reports podcast, Simon, a self-described lifelong Democrat, delivered a scathing indictment of the DFL’s current trajectory. She warned of what she describes as “creeping communism” and a systemic takeover of the party by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

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The interview highlights a deepening schism within the DFL that has been simmering for years. While the party has historically balanced the needs of rural farmers, urban labor unions, and suburban moderates, the recent surge of DSA-backed candidates in Minneapolis and St. Paul has shifted the power dynamic. These new voices have pushed for radical reforms in public safety, rent control, and taxation—policies that Simon and other traditionalists believe are alienating the party’s moderate base.

Simon pointed to the increasing influence of the “Squad”-aligned wing of the party as evidence of a shift toward socialism. She expressed concern that the DFL’s traditional focus on pragmatic progressivism has been replaced by an “ideological purity” that leaves no room for dissent from long-term members. “I’m not a Republican, and I don’t want to be one,” Simon emphasized. “I’m a Democrat who wants my party back. I want to save the DFL from the people who are trying to burn it down from the inside.”

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“Marjorie Simon represents a generation of Democrats who feel abandoned by their own party,” said one local political consultant. “Whether or not her lawsuit has legal standing, the political optics are significant. If the DFL loses the support of its traditional moderate base, the path to a statewide majority becomes increasingly narrow.”

As for Simon, she views her potential legal challenge as a rescue mission for the party she spent her life supporting. “Someone has to stand up and say this isn’t right,” she concluded. “If we don’t fight for the soul of this party now, there won’t be a party left to save.”

https://minneapolistimes.com/a-party-divided-the-socialist-shift-the-fight-for-minnesotas-dfl/