Help Veda, the DFL, and our Environmental Movement
DFLEC endorses Kanitz for DFL Vice Chair
Moments ago, the DFLEC endorsed co-founder of the Environmental Caucus, long time Chair, Chair Emeritus, and Legislative Committee co-chair Veda Kanitz for the position of DFL Vice Chair. If you are interested in helping Veda to win this important position, email laden.greg@gmail.com. Your help would be much appreciated, but it is also urgent; the work we need to do has to be done before Saturday!
Veda Kanitz is running for Vice Chair of the DFL
This is a state-wide position of great importance, and Veda in this position would advance all of our progressive goals of human rights, environmental action, and labor dignity. Bring the Green New Deal closer to the forefront in Minnesota by supporting here. There are three ways:
If you are a DFL State Central Committee (SCC) member, you can go to the upcoming meeting (next Saturday) and vote for her.
If you can’t vote because you are not an SCC member, you can still help. Send and email to laden.greg@gmail.com to volunteer to help contact delegates by phone or other means to tell the the great news about Veda.
If you are a person of note such as an SD chair or some other DFLy thing, you can endorse Veda in your own social media environment. If you are a regular person OR a special person feel free to visit’ Veda’s Facebook post on her candidacy and leave a nice note in the comments. These will be seen by others and it will help. The Facebook post is here.
This is Veda’s announcement of her candidacy, and the case she makes for supporting her:
Dear friends, I'm running for 1st Vice Chair of the DFL.
Delegates deserve a choice!
I write today to let you know that I am running for the position of 1st Vice Chair of the DFL party. I’ve heard several people express that they would appreciate having a choice, and not having a preselected slate of candidates presented by the party before the nominations committee has screened candidates.
My decision to run is the result of a deep desire to do whatever is in my power to unite and grow our party across all the counties of our great state. I am motivated by friends and party leaders who have faith in my ability to make a difference. I am motivated by outrage with the GOP, where every day brings a new assault on our democracy, our rights, our freedoms, and our safety. My candidacy has just begun, but I have already been endorsed by Representative Rick Hansen.
For those of you who don’t know me, I have a reputation to be:
An energizer bunny with more energy than folks half my age
A leader who attracts volunteers and respects and values their contributions
A collaborator, who knows we are stronger when we work together
An organizer who loves to look at the big picture, the long range plan, but also enjoys doing the work in community
A motivator, who encourages and empower others
A strong advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
A distinguished environmental steward, 2020 recipient of the DFL’s Willard Munger Award
I’m a mom, a wife, and a proud grandmother, retired after over 4 decades teaching high school science. I’ve been a union member and democrat all my adult life and served in a variety of leadership roles in the party since 2010 when I drove down from Lakeville to Belle Plaine MN, and became the Scott 20 Vice Chair and then the chair, and Jeannete Gloege nominated me to be a CD2 director. By 2012 was deeply involved as a volunteer with the VOTE NO campaign, learning that the way to build a movement was to speak to common values, employ deep listening, and avoid being triggered.
Here’s an overview of some key leadership roles I”ve held as a volunteer:
Chair of DFL Senate District 57, 2021 - present
Cochair of the DFL Environmental Caucus Legislative Committee, and Endorsements Committee
Chair Emeritus of the DFL Environmental Caucus 2021-present
DFL and Labor endorsed candidate for Minnesota House in 57A, 2024
Director on State Executive Committee of the DFL representing CD2 for two years and for the DFL Environmental Caucus for 4 years
Lead creator and Chair of the DFL Environmental Caucus, 2015 – 2021.
National Delegate for Joe Biden, 2020
National Delegate for Kamala Harris, 2024
Organized and raised over $166,000 to help fight hunger locally and globally with the South of the River CROP Hunger Walk Committee over the past decade
Citizen lobbyist and presenter, St. Paul and Washington DC for Citizens’ Climate Lobby, 2010 – 2019
Climate Reality Leader, communicating impacts and solutions to our climate crisis, 2019 – present
My main objective in running for 1st Vice Chair is to grow and unite our party across all counties in our state
I will work with the chair and travel the state to listen to voters - their hopes and dreams and what keeps them up at night - to help them develop and deliver messaging that is framed around their communities’ needs.
We will show voters that the DFL is the party that believes in the power of good government working to improve their lives, to protect their freedoms, to create good paying union jobs, provide access to affordable comprehensive healthcare, and a safe, healthy environment.
We will show up in communities, help to recruit volunteers and candidates, to strengthen party units, and elect DFLers up and down the ticket.
I will earn the trust of volunteers by directly helping them and empowering them to help themselves. I will help them reach out to voters with boots on the ground, help them organize in their unit, and provide the resources and tools to help their party unit or community caucus thrive and grow. I am especially interested in helping candidates in tough districts where funding is limited and volunteers are often stretched thin. To that end, I will also work diligently to raise funds to support our work.
This will not be an easy task. The bulk of our party is made up of volunteers like you and me, who juggle their own needs with those of the party. People come to us with a variety of skills, perspectives, and personal challenges. We need to warmly welcome them all, remember that the issues that unite us are much stronger than the issues that could divide us. We will make the work purposeful, joyful, and rewarding. We will celebrate our wins, and learn from our losses. But we will never give up.
I’m Veda Kanitz, from rural Scott County, south of the city of Lakeville, and I humbly ask for your vote. Please reach out if you’d like to volunteer for my campaign.
In unity,
Veda Kanitz
SD57 DFL Chair
DFL Environmental Caucus Chair Emeritus