Democrats say they've delivered progress and want to continue

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of one of the greatest political parties in our country — the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

The DFL was founded on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party. For more than 70 years the DFL has led the fight for civil, workers' and women's rights; for health care; for Social Security and for equality.

At the state level, when Minnesota was in danger of truly becoming flyover land, DFL leaders made the strategic move to invest in education. By nurturing one of the best educated workforces in the U.S. we've attracted Fortune 500 companies, seen entrepreneurs take their ideas from the garage to the global market and weathered recessions better than states that do not invest vigorously in future workers.

At the national level, DFL leaders have played a key role in our great nation's history. Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey helped lead the charge for civil rights. Thanks to the work of former Gov. Orville Freeman when he was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, we have a food stamp program that feeds hungry families. And progressives throughout the U.S. continue to live by Sen. Paul Wellstone's words of wisdom, "We all do better when we all do better."

In 2010 for the first time in a generation, voters elected a DFLer, Mark Dayton, as the state's governor. Gov. Dayton won that election on a vision of building a better Minnesota for all, not just for the few at the top. But while we won the governorship in 2010, the DFL lost majorities in the Legislature. With the Republicans holding legislative control, Minnesota saw the longest state government shutdown in U.S. history, a state budget balanced by borrowing from our schools, soaring property taxes and proposals for two divisive constitutional amendments that would have infringed on the basic rights of Minnesotans.

In 2012, Gov. Dayton was asked what would happen if DFLers took back the House and Senate. He answered with one word: progress. And in the past two years, with DFL majorities in place, that's exactly what we've seen. Thanks to U.S. Sen. Al Franken and our congressional delegation's work in Washington, D.C., Minnesota also has a strong national voice on issues that matter most to middle-class families.

What's the DFL's vision for the future? Continued progress.

Economy: Since 2011, Minnesota has recovered all jobs lost during the Great Recession. More than 150,000 new jobs were created since Gov. Dayton took office. We have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the region, and this summer, Minneapolis and St. Paul had the lowest unemployment rate for any large city. A $12 million allocation to the Minnesota Job Creation Fund has produced $224.5 million in private economic development. If re-elected, DFLers will build on this success and work to see that all Minnesotans share in this prosperity.

Education: Thanks to a historic investment in education by DFLers in the past two years, Minnesota families saw funding for early childhood education, free all-day kindergarten and a two-year college tuition freeze. Members of Congress have focused on ensuring that businesses have the high-skilled workers they need. If re-elected, DFL leaders will continue the progress in closing the achievement gap through a first-rate, seamless early childhood education system and closing the opportunity gap by seeking partnerships between education and business.

Transportation Minnesota's economy is in serious jeopardy if our transportation infrastructure is not updated. DFL leaders will find responsible funding sources to make sure Minnesota invests in our ability to move people safely around their communities and get their goods to market.

Progress for all: A review of the DFL's progress would not be complete without mentioning marriage equality, the minimum wage increase and the Women's Economic Security Act. Whether it's about Minnesotans marrying the person they love, getting paid a fair wage, or enjoying equal protection in the workplace, our party knows that we need to root out injustice in order to build a better Minnesota for all.

Seventy years ago the DFL's founders came together to create a party dedicated to moving Minnesota forward by ensuring that every person, through his or her hard work, has the opportunity to succeed. DFL leaders past and present have taken this responsibility to heart and have given us a state we're proud to call home. On Nov. 4 Minnesotans can build on the progress made by re-electing Gov. Mark Dayton, Sen. Al Franken and keeping the DFL House majority.

Ken Martin is chair of the Minnesota DFL.