Our Candidates
DFL Endorsed Candidates for 2026
These are the candidates running to represent us — the community members of Senate District 14!
Some earned their endorsement at the District Convention, others at the CD-6 Convention, and some at the State DFL Convention.
To learn more about how the candidate endorsement process works in the DFL, read our blog How candidates get endorsed by the Minnesota DFL.
Don’t forget to register to vote for the 2026 Midterm elections!
Aric Putnam for State Senate, SD14
Abdi Daisane for State House, SD14-A
Zachary Dorholt for State House, SD14-B
Doug Chapin for U. S. Congress, CD6
Peggy Flanagan for U. S. Senate
Amy Klobuchar for Governor
Steve Simon for Secretary of State
Zack Filipovich for Audior
Keith Ellison for Attorney General
Senator Aric Putnam
Running for re-election to State Senate, representing Senate District 14
A Record of Service to the Community
Aric Putnam is a college professor who researches and teaches about the history of social movements, U.S. Democracy, and the skills of citizenship. A long-time volunteer, Aric serves on the boards of directors of several local nonprofits that attend to community needs for education, cultural dialogue, and mental health.
Driven by his dream for legislators to be advocates for citizens, not obstacles to progress, Aric is proud to be St. Cloud’s State Senator – achieving real solutions that work for all Minnesotans. Aric serves as the chair of the Agriculture, Broadband, and Rural Development committee and vice chair of the higher education committee.
Abdi Daisane
Running for State House representing Senate District 14-A
Leading With Integrity
Abdi Daisane is a childcare executive with more than seven years of experience. Currently consulting for Initiative Foundation, he provides expert training and technical assistance to start-ups and small businesses.
Abdi holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a master’s in public administration from St. Cloud State University. His leadership has earned recognition, including 5-Under-40 Award and Minnesota’s Young American Leaders.
Zachary Dorholt
Running for State House representing Senate District 14-B
Working for Families
Zach Dorholt is a lifelong Minnesotan, father, mental health professional, and committed community advocate working to build a state where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Zach is running to represent MN House District 14B, which includes parts of St. Cloud, Minden Township, and parts of Haven Township because he believes our government should reflect the voices, experiences, and values of the people it serves. He understands the challenges families face today and is committed to delivering real, community-centered solutions that make life better for everyone in central Minnesota.
Doug Chapin
Running for U.S. House representing Congressional District 6
Bringing Ethics to Minnesota’s 6th
Doug Chapin is a nationally recognized expert on election policy and administration with almost forty years of experience in the field.
Doug spent over a decade leading The Pew Charitable Trusts’ elections team, where he successfully lobbied for enactment of military and overseas voting reform in Congress and state legislatures, linked state election offices and technology partners like Google to provide official voting information online; and worked with the elections community to design and implement efforts to upgrade the nation’s voter registration systems.
In 2001, Doug founded electionline.org, which is still the nation’s leading nonpartisan source for election policy news and information. He has been an attorney in private practice specializing in election and ethics law and served as elections counsel to the Democrats on the U.S. Senate Rules Committee.
Peggy Flanagan
Running for U. S. Senate, representing the state of Minnesota
Grounded Experience and a Fighting Spirit
Peggy is running on a straightforward premise: one good job should be enough. Her platform is built around the cost pressures hitting Minnesotans across the state — housing they can't afford, prescription drugs priced out of reach, wages that haven't kept up, and a federal government that's been cutting the programs families depend on to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy. On agriculture, she's been direct about the damage Trump's tariffs have done to export markets Minnesota farmers spent decades building, and she's committed to passing a comprehensive Farm Bill. On healthcare, she supports Medicare negotiating drug prices, protecting Medicaid, and ending insurance company prior authorization that puts a stranger between patients and the care their doctor prescribed. She's running to take these fights to Washington.
Amy Klobuchar
Running for Governor of the Great State of Minnesota
A Champion for Accountability
In the Senate, Amy has been ranked number one for authoring bipartisan bills and number three for passing bills into law.
She's fought for people by taking on pharmaceutical companies and led the fight to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices. She's taken on big tech companies to protect kids online, cracked down on fentanyl trafficking on social media, and gone after monopolies like Ticketmaster that rig their prices. Amy has led the effort to get rid of Trump's tariffs, rightfully calling them a tax on farms, businesses, and consumers. She's delivered funding for our roads and bridges, for workforce training and apprenticeships, and led the successful fight to get veterans exposed to toxic chemicals access to the health care they need.
Steve Simon
Running for re-election as the Minnesota Secretary of State
Safeguarding the Votes of Minnesotans
Steve Simon has served as Minnesota's Secretary of State since 2015, and Minnesota has been among the top states in voter turnout under his watch — a result of bipartisan laws that balance access and security. He spearheaded pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds and helped restore voting rights to people with felony convictions upon release from incarceration. He has pushed back against federal attempts to access Minnesota's voter rolls and resisted pressure unprecedented encroachment on state election administration. Now seeking a fourth term, Simon is running on a record of keeping Minnesota's elections fair, accurate, and accessible.
Zack Filipovich
Running for Minnesota State Auditor
Bringing Professional Experience to the Auditor’s Office
Zack is a Certified Management Accountant, nonprofit finance manager, and former Duluth City Council President — and the only accountant in the race for State Auditor. He spent a decade working with small businesses, individuals, and local governments on financial sustainability, and earned his MBA from the University of Minnesota Duluth after serving eight years on the Duluth City Council, where he became the youngest person ever elected to that body. He believes local governments across Minnesota, down to townships, school boards, soil and water districts, need better tools, better data, and a state auditor who understands their books.
Keith Ellison
Running for re-election as Minnesota Attorney General
Making Life Fair and Affordable for Minnesotans
Keith Ellison has served as Minnesota's Attorney General since 2019, and his record is a list of fights most people assumed couldn't be won. He forced pharmaceutical companies to cap insulin prices at $35. His Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has secured more than 340 fraud convictions, returning more than $90 million in judgments and restitution to taxpayers. When the Trump administration moved to cut funding to states, Ellison's office fought back and reinstated more than $20 billion for Minnesota schools, infrastructure, and law enforcement. He's also fought price gouging by corporations, pushed back on predatory practices targeting student borrowers, and worked to protect tenants from exploitation. Ellison is running on the argument that Minnesotans need an attorney general who works for them — not for whoever holds power in Washington.