My name is Richard Carlbom, and after being elected in March of 2025, I am currently serving as Chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party.

I got my start in politics as Mayor of Saint Joseph, where I was elected to serve after graduating from St. John’s University. Soon after, I began work as an organizer for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party during the 2006 election cycle.

My passion for organizing began much earlier and has always been driven by my desire to improve the lives of those around me. Politics is about the improvement of people’s lives, as Paul Wellstone taught us. It is what politics is all about and is what drives me to seek the position of Chair.

I grew up in greater Minnesota and moved a lot (nine schools by the time I was in the sixth grade). I was a kid who, at times, counted on free lunch at school. One of my proudest moments was standing alongside Governor Walz when he signed the Universal School Meals bill into law in 2023. My passion for connecting people with a cause has driven my 20+ year career in this work.

In 2007, I heard a newly elected Congressman on the radio who had won a longshot race. His name was Tim Walz and his message resonated with me, and I wanted to help. I left the mayor’s office and moved to Mankato to get to work as his political director. It didn’t take me long to realize raising money was critical to his re-election, so I started fundraising.

I grew from a DFL organizer in greater Minnesota, to fundraiser, to campaign manager, and in 2010 I led the campaign to help Congressman Tim Walz overcome the Tea Party wave. We won a tough race by connecting with southern Minnesotans with an authentic message at the doors, on TV, and on radio.

In 2011 I was tapped to lead Minnesotans United for All Families – the Vote No ballot campaign that made Minnesota the first state in the nation to defeat a harmful constitutional amendment to restrict the freedom to marry. That campaign proved to be the biggest grassroots campaign in Minnesota history by all measures: the size and breadth of the coalition; the amount of money raised and number of donors; and the number of volunteers and conversations with voters. Minnesota leveraged that November victory by securing marriage equality six months later through the legislature. We organized, and we won.

It was an honor to join the office of Governor and Lieutenant Governor in March 2023 where I served as Deputy Chief of Staff until my election.

Prior to beginning state service in 2023, I was the co-founder of United Strategies, leading the company in campaign strategy, communication services, public relations, and planning.

Personally, my proudest moment was when I married my husband Justin in a Lutheran church in St Paul. My second proudest moment was when I persuaded him to let us get our dog Walnut.