About Swift County DFL

Swift County is where the Democratic Party and the Farmer Labor Party joined to become the DFL.

Elmer Benson, a former governor of Minnesota, and the leader of the Farmer Labor Party, lived in the city of Appleton, in Swift County. The Democratic Party had struggled to elect enough officials to office, and the Republican Party continued to win state wide elections, because the Farmer Labor Party, and the Democratic Party where splitting the votes in a three way election, allowing the Republican Party to win the elections. The Farmer Labor Party was very liberal, and supported women's rights, fair labor wages, fair farm commodity prices, and racial equity.

The Farmer Labor Party was a significant 3rd Party that elected:

2 Governors
2 US Senators
Several US Representatives
A significant number of members to the Minnesota Legislature

In fact, even though Elmer Benson had lost his election for a 2nd term as governor in 1938, the Farmer Labor Party was still out polling the Democratic Party for statewide candidates at that time.

Hubert Humphrey was appointed the chair of the Fusion Committee to facilitate the merger of the Farmer Labor Party with the Democratic Party. FDR needed to carry Minnesota in his national election, and Elmer Benson, from Swift County, agreed to the merger of the two parties to form the DFL in 1944.

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Our Mission

Swift County has a unique connection with the merger of the Farmer-Labor Party and the Democratic Party in 1944, that became the Democratic Farmer Labor Party known as the DFL. Many of the same issues facing the working class back then are similar to the issues facing the working class of today. Our mission is to elect Democrats that will support the ongoing DFL Platform. Click on the Link below to see all the great things the DFL supports.

DFL-Ongoing-Platform