by Dennis Dalman
A former St. Joseph mayor, Richard Carlbom, was elected chair of the Minnesota State Democratic-Farmer Labor Party by a conference of DFL members March 29 in Edina.
Carlbom is the first new state DFL chair in 14 years. He was elected over Jack Lindsay, a DFL campaign organizer from Mankato.
“I’m honored and humbled to be stepping into a new role as chair of the DFL,” Carlbom said in a Facebook announcement. “Together, we’re going to build a stronger, more successful party and deliver meaningful change . . . We have to go win some races. Let’s go!”
Ken Martin, the long-time former chair, was chosen just two months ago to become chair of the Democratic National Committee. That move left a vacancy.
Carlbom is currently deputy chief of staff for Gov. Walz. He served as St. Joseph’s mayor from 2005-2010. The previous mayor, Larry Hosch, convinced Carlbom to file for mayor toward the end of 2024.
Carlbom earned a degree in political science from St. John’s University shortly before his election as mayor. As he had in college, he worked tirelessly as a DFL coordinator/organizer, serving as financial advisor to Gov. Walz and leading Walz’s re-election campaign.
In 2010, Carlbom spearheaded the fight against passage of the Minnesota Legislature’s “United For All Families” amendment that would have banned marriage between same-sex couples. The amendment was defeated. Later, Carlbom gained national attention when he led the effort – and succeeded – in State Legislation allowing legal civil same-sex marriages some years before that was approved on the national level.
Richard Carlbom
