Press Release

Under the new rules, the DFL Party officially banned Nasri Warsame from seeking the DFL Party’s endorsement for any office

Tonight, the DFL Party’s Central Committee ratified changes made recently by the DFL Party’s Executive Committee to put more tools at the party’s disposal to keep events safe and ensure anyone who engages in violence can be held accountable. 

The new rules that are now in effect allow the DFL Party to ban individuals who engage in violence from future DFL Party events, and they allow the DFL Party to ban candidates and campaigns from seeking the DFL Party’s endorsement if those candidates and campaigns are found to have engaged in or incited violence.

Additionally, when the DFL Party’s Executive Committee first approved these rule changes on May 18th, they also approved a motion to use the new rules to ban Nasri Warsame from seeking the DFL Party endorsement for any office. The motion banning Warsame was contingent on the Central Committee’s ratification of the new rules. Now that those rules have been ratified, Nasri Warsame is officially banned from seeking the DFL Party’s endorsement for any office.

DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement at the conclusion of the meeting:

“Tonight, the DFL Party’s Central Committee put new tools at our disposal which will help ensure our events remain safe and accessible to all, and allow us to hold anyone engaged in violence accountable. This is a positive step forward for our party and a rebuke to anyone who seeks to bring violence into a political movement like ours, which is guided by compassion and empathy for our fellow Minnesotans.

“Additionally, the DFL Party has taken the unprecedented step of officially banning Nasri Warsame from seeking the DFL Party’s endorsement for any elected office. The behavior that Warsame’s campaign team and supporters engaged in at the Ward 10 endorsing convention was reprehensible, and today the DFL Party held their campaign accountable.

“Political endorsing conventions can sometimes be complex, contentious, and fiercely contested, which is why the DFL Party has processes in place to resolve any disputes that arise during these conventions. Violence and intimidation are never justified, and the action taken tonight proves that they will never be tolerated in our party.”

The changes made to the DFL Party’s bylaws by the party’s Central Committee are as follows:

BYLAW #1

The Minnesota DFL State Executive Committee, following an investigation and then upon a 2/3rds vote of its members who are present and eligible to vote, can immediately and permanently disqualify an individual from seeking the DFL endorsement or letter of support, at any level, if the individual or supporters of their campaign have engaged in, incited, or consciously condoned physical assault, threats of violence, or violent acts while actively campaigning or participating in any function of the DFL Party. The decision of the State Executive Committee may be appealed to the State Central Committee.

BYLAW #2

The Minnesota DFL State Executive Committee, following an investigation and then upon a 2/3rds vote of its members who are present and eligible to vote, can permanently remove and ban any individual from elected or appointed party position, including serving as delegates or alternates to a convention, at any level, if that individual has engaged in, incited, or consciously condoned physical assault, threats of violence, or violent acts during any function of the DFL Party.   Because of the timely threat to members of the DFL Party, this action will be immediate and require no formal hearing or removal process by the Code of Conduct Committee.