Richard Carlbom, deputy chief of staff to Gov. Tim Walz and best known for spearheading the successful 2012 campaign to defeat a proposed ban on same-sex marriage, on Saturday was elected chair of the state DFL Party.

"Our DFL coalition is united and ready to fight back and win," Carlbom said. "Minnesotans are fed up with Donald Trump and Elon Musk, and we are going to help them get involved right now, not two years from now."

Ken Martin, who led the DFL for 14 years before being elected chair of the Democratic National Committee in February, said he was confident the state party will remain strong under Carlbom's leadership.

"He's fought for Minnesota families his whole career, and with the Trump administration coming after communities everywhere, he understands exactly what's at stake right now," Martin said.

Carlbom has been a DFL activist for more than 20 years. He was elected mayor of St. Joseph, Minn., in 2004 only months after graduating from St. John's University, and became a field organizer in the 2006 elections. He was campaign manager in Walz's successful bid for reelection to the U.S. House in 2010.

Two years later, Carlbom managed the Minnesotans United for All Families campaign to defeat a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. The same group later successfully lobbied for the bill that legalized same-sex marriage.

Walz, who backed Carlbom for state party leader, named him deputy chief of staff in March 2023.

Carlbom pledged to build a team to help DFLers organize now for the 2026 elections, initiate a long-term organizing approach and expand the party's "Rapid Response War Room" to help promote DFLers and hold Republican legislators accountable.