Hi! My name is Anita Smithson, and I am running to be your next DFL State Party Secretary.

I am a lifelong DFLer, first getting involved with politics shortly out of high school in Hutchinson, Minnesota. My first experiences with activism were during 2002 protests, inspired by our late Senator Paul Wellstone, against the authorization of and ongoing Iraq war. I was briefly active in party politics in 2007-2008, as a young renter in the suburbs of Eden Prairie and Edina; and found ways to volunteer and advocate for our DFL values outside of the party until 2016. Since 2016, I have been an involved member of the DFL in Bloomington, Minnesota.

In addition to involvement with the DFL, I worked hard in my community to advocate for our shared DFL-values through my work and volunteerism in a variety of ways: local and school board elections, volunteering with Bloomington Pride MN, as an appointed member of a municipal commission, and as a community leader and organizer.

I am running to be our next DFL Secretary because I believe that our Minnesota DFL can and will be a place for all of us - but we must see inclusive leadership from the top in order to make it our reality. I have spent my life advocating for our community, and finding ways to bring people together across areas of divide to accomplish great things. I look forward to doing this as your next DFL Secretary.