Minnesota's DFL delegation brings deep diversity to the national scene

PHILADELPHIA – Abdul Ahmed, a Somali-American state employee from Coon Rapids, had no strong desire to be a delegate to the Democratic National Convention until his politics-loving 10-year-old son intervened.

The boy urged along his father in successful runs for district and then state convention delegate. “At the state convention, he said, ‘I know you didn’t campaign for national so do you mind if I campaign for you?’ ” Ahmed recalled Tuesday, seeming still a little amazed to be here. “Long story short: I ended up with the highest vote.”

Now Ahmed is part of the Minnesota DFL’s deeply diverse delegation to Philadelphia, where on Tuesday night they joined the Democratic Party in successfully nominating Hillary Clinton as the first woman to lead a major-party presidential ticket. Such diverse coalitions are increasingly indispensable to the future of the Democratic Party, which this year is going up against a Republican candidate, Donald Trump, who has stoked deep unease among many nonwhite and new immigrant voters with talk of border walls and Muslim bans.

http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-s-dfl-delegation-brings-deep-diversity-to-the-national-scene/388334061/