TakeAction Minnesota’s purpose is to build statewide, multiracial, multigenerational, gender-diverse, independent political power that challenges corporate power, structural racism, and gender oppression. Our goal is to generate a new politics to win and wield the power to govern – a politics that is people-centered, agenda-driven, focused on changing structural inequity, and frees all of us to live lives of peace, prosperity, and joy.
Why TakeAction Minnesota screens and makes endorsements
- To provide values-aligned leaders with the campaign support they need to win and govern boldly
- To build strong relationships with candidates who are accountable to TakeAction Minnesota members
- To invest in the progressive governing infrastructure in Minnesota.
TakeAction Minnesota builds our endorsement criteria with an eye to these goals. We cultivate meaningful relationships with our endorsed candidates, supporting them to become elected officials and supporting them to act boldly once in elected office, where those relationships translate to co-governance and accountability to our members.
We believe in having hard conversations and coming out on the other side. Democracy is not about everyone agreeing; but rather, finding ways to disagree and continue working together to build the world our communities deserve.
Our endorsement process is member-led. It’s developed by our Political Committee, then decided on by our Leadership Assembly and elected Board of Directors. Our Leadership Assembly is a decision-making body within TakeAction Minnesota that includes our most active individual members and representatives from our member institutions. It’s the core of people-centered decision making within our organization. Our vision for the world is grounded in the wisdom of our people.
TakeAction Minnesota members value the opportunity to build deeper relationships with candidates through our endorsement process, and this year we have developed new opportunities to do that together.
Here’s how it works:
- Our Political Committee, made up of individual members and member institutions, comes together to decide which races to screen candidates for, then develops our member-led questionnaire and in-person questions for the screening.
- Our Movement Governance Department sends out a survey to our members in the geographies of the races the Political Committee decided on inform the endorsement discussion. Interested in becoming a member? Send us an email.
- Political Committee members connect with candidates interested in screening with us for a one-on-one conversation. This is a key element of the process, because our members know that relationship-building is part of what sets up to successfully co-govern alongside elected leaders.
- Candidates interested in screening with our Leadership Assembly complete our member-developed questionnaire that is shared with our Leadership Assembly before the screening.
- Candidates join our virtual screening to engage with member-developed questions.
- Our leadership assembly spends time discussing and wrestling with our endorsement criteria and vote to endorse the candidate that best shares our values and vision. Earning this endorsement recommendation requires 60% of the vote. Then, it’s sent to our member-elected Board of Directors for approval.
Here’s the member-developed criteria that all our endorsements are filtered through:
- Will this candidate fight for the humanity and dignity of all Minnesotans, and share our values, believes, and ideals?
- Does this candidate have a plan to win by organizing people, money, and ideas?
- Is this candidate ready to proactively govern with TakeAction Minnesota and the progressive movement in order to implement our shared vision?
- Does this candidate exhibit radical imagination for what is possible for transforming our government and economy so that they are accountable to our communities, not the corporations?
- Would you (a TakeAction Minnesota leader) be excited about supporting this candidate with your time and money?
Our Movement Politics program is member-led and people-centered, and there’s always room at our table. To become a TakeAction Minnesota member and get involved in our political work, send an email to info@takeactionminnesota.org.
