THE HOW
Then
At the beginning of the 20th century, farmers felt unrepresented by their representatives in the North Dakota legislature. The farmers felt trapped. They were loyal Northern and so voted for republicans, the party of Lincoln. However, the Republican Party ceased to represent them properly. Knowing their voters could not stomach voting for a democrat who was associated with the Jim Crow South, they aligned themselves more and more with corporate interests, throwing their farmer constituents under the bus. This led the farmers to create their own organization called the Non-Partisan League. The NPL primaried republicans fighting for relief for farmers and one control of the North Dakota legislature. The NPL then moved to Minnesota and became the most successful third party in history, the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party.
Now
Just like 100 years ago, voters feel that our representatives are very unrepresentative of the people. Just like our predecessors, we plan to take on the parties from the inside. Rather than running candidates as independents or creating a third party, we will run candidates in the primaries. We will create a New Non-Partisan League right here in Minnesota. The NNPL will have both DFL and GOP candidates that appeal to their parties’ voters and will reach across the aisle to pass the Minnesota Plan. These candidates will be supported by a broad coalition of organizations working for a better future. Once we have a majority in the legislature, we will pass laws and put constitutional amendments to the voters.
When?
Now!
The first NNPL candidate, Steven Schroer, the creator of the Minnesota Plan, will be on the ballot in the 2026 general election, in Northern Lakeville 57B. Caucus night will be February 3rd, 2026. Nominating conventions will be in the spring, and the primaries will be on August 12th, 2026. Check out the candidate page to see more.
