Minnesota Democrats look to turn ICE watch volunteers into GOTV force
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Minnesota Democrats are trying to turn tens of thousands of "ICE watch" volunteers into a "GOTV army" of door-knockers and "poll protectors" ahead of the midterm elections.
Why it matters: Boots on the ground can make a big difference in close campaigns.
By the numbers: The Minnesota DFL Party trained 10,000 residents to be constitutional observers during the Trump administration's 10-week immigration crackdown, chair Richard Carlbom told Axios in a recent interview.
- Another 60,000 went through similar trainings held by other groups.
What they're saying: "I've never seen a sign up and lean in moment for Minnesotans like I did in those 48 days," said Carlbom, who led the 2012 campaign to defeat a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
- Now, the party is working to retrain those people to help them register voters and get out the vote in key races.
"We're going to have the largest GOTV program in the history of our state, because this moment," he predicted.
What we're hearing: People who signed up during the ICE surge skewed younger than the average DFL activist, Carlbom said, noting that suburban women made up much of the wave.
- "A lot of these people, they've never been involved in the history of our party," he said.
Between the lines: The DFL saw a similar trend during its record-turnout February precinct caucuses.
- The party estimates that 15% of people who attended those meeting were independents, and 6% Republicans. In 2024, just 0.4% of attendees were identified as likely GOP voters.
Reality check: The news cycle moves quickly, and the issues that fired up some voters in February may not be their top concern come November.
Yes, but: Democrats say they continue to see high levels of engagement, months after the surge ended.
- Carlbom wrote on X that the party had 600 volunteers knocking doors last weekend —"September or October level of volunteer engagement."
- "We knocked more doors in Otsego on Sunday than we did in all of 2024," he added.
The other side: Minnesota Republican Party chair Alex Plechash said in a statement that the GOP has also seen several surges of volunteer sign ups in the last year.
- He said they saw bumps after the House DFL's boycott at the start of the 2025 session and in the wake of assassination attempts targeting President Trump and the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
- "We are thrilled with the growing number of volunteers signing up and mobilizing to restore common sense to [Minnesota]," he said.