Following a spat over delegates, the Minneapolis DFL Party on Thursday decided to cancel its endorsing convention for the Fifth Ward City Council race.
Following dispute, Minneapolis DFL cancels Fifth Ward City Council endorsing convention
Both incumbent Jeremiah Ellison and challenger Victor Martinez requested the cancellation.
May 5, 2023 at 9:23PM
Both candidates seeking the DFL endorsement, incumbent Jeremiah Ellison and challenger Victor Martinez, asked Wednesday that the event be canceled, according to a statement from party officials.
Scrapping the convention means that no one will receive the party endorsement in the Fifth Ward. Endorsements carry no legal weight, but the DFL nod can be a significant factor in a DFL-dominated city like Minneapolis.
The convention — where delegates decide which candidate, if any, should receive the party's seal of approval for the November election — had been slated for May 13.
The convention was originally set to be held online, but organizers decided to hold it in person after a dispute arose that revealed possible flaws in holding such events virtually.
In March, the party threw out a number of Martinez's delegates whom he had listed as supporting him at previous precinct conventions. Those precinct conventions were held virtually in the Fifth Ward, and Martinez was unable to produce paper backups.
Party officials had hoped to resolve the delegate disputes in person at the ward convention, but that plan quickly became mired in questions over process. That led to both candidates asking the party to scrap the convention, giving the DFL a way to render the disputes irrelevant and proceed with no endorsement.
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