Photo by Deb Gau Rep. Emma Greenman, DFL-Minneapolis, was the keynote speaker at Sunday’s Lyon County DFL convention, held at the Marshall Adult Community Center. Convention attendees also heard from Democratic candidates running for Minnesota House and for U.S. Congress.

MARSHALL — A focus on the future was a big part of the discussion at the Lyon County Democratic-Farmer-Labor convention this weekend. Keeping a strong Democratic presence in state and national government is going to be key for helping make a better future, speakers said.

“To me, the promise of American democracy is not that we will always agree … but it is the idea that we decide our future together,” said Minnesota state Rep. Emma Greenman, DFL-Minneapolis. Right now, she said, “It feels like we’re choosing between this inclusive democracy, or something that isn’t really democracy at all.”

Greenman was the keynote speaker at the county DFL convention Sunday in Marshall. At the convention, area Democrats voted to select delegates who will attend the DFL Senate District 15 convention, which will be held April 13 in Wood Lake. Area Democrats also heard speakers including candidates for Minnesota state Legislature and Congress.

Greenman said a strong voter turnout statewide was the driving force behind the “trifecta” of Democrat leadership in the Minnesota House, Senate, and governor’s office.

“In 2023 we used that power to strengthen freedoms, to invest in families, to really get serious about what health care access means across the state of Minnesota, with the Minnesota Care buy-in that this year we’re going to make a reality,” Greeman said. Greeman said new measures like universal school meals and new family and medical leave laws were also positive changes passed in the state Legislature last year.

In the current legislative session, Greenman said, DFL legislators were focused on passing a good budget and supporting the implementation of bills passed last year. That was part of the reason why the outcome of this November’s elections was important. “Holding on to the House really does, I think, mean protecting some of the stuff we passed,” she said.

County convention attendees heard from speakers including AJ Peters, a Browerville resident who is seeking the Democratic endorsement as a candidate for U.S. House running against Rep. Michelle Fischbach.

Peters said he was running partly because he thought he could help make a difference in Congress. Peters also said he wanted to support people in rural communities.

“We have to elect people that care about us. Why am I running? Because I believe in the small communities. I believe in the small towns,” Peters said. Fischbach had voted against federal infrastructure spending and the Ag Bill, he said.

“We do know if we have both a Republican in the White House, and a Republican House and a Republican Senate, the Ag Bill is going to go away,” Peters said. “How is that going to affect the farmers in this area?”

Area Democrats also heard from Marshall resident Anthony Studemann, who is running for Minnesota House District 15A, against Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent. Studemann hopes to get his party’s endorsement at the DFL Senate district convention in April.

Studemann said the people in southwest Minnesota are a big part of the reason why he’s running for state House.

“I know all of us love the area, and we want to take care of the area. We want to take care of each other, too,” he said.

However, he said Swedzinski did not support all local residents and workers.

“When I look at our current representation, I see someone who’s not willing to work with everyone,” Studemann said. “He brags about voting no on pretty much everything, for instance infrastructure, funding for public schools, making sure kids aren’t hungry, funding for clean water, air and soil.”

“He also doesn’t really support local workers that much, like he won’t support passing right to repair laws. And I know a lot of local farmers want those laws passed,” Studemann added.

Studemann said he didn’t have the solutions to all the problems area communities faced. Problems like a lack of affordable child care in the region were complex, he said.

“But together we can figure out the answers to the problems,” he said. “We can work toward solutions that work for everyone.”

Speakers called on area DFL units to get out the vote this year.

“One of the things that we have to do is, whether we win or lose, we have to increase the number of people that vote Democrat this year,” Peters said.

“It is really, really important that we have candidates in every district that are representing the values that we all hold together,” Greenman said.