For Immediate Release: January 10, 2024

Contact: Anna Mathews [email protected]

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Chairman David Hann and Deputy Chairwoman Donna Bergstrom denounced the new state flag along with a growing number of Minnesotans: 

“Minnesota’s state flag holds great historical importance and has united us by recognizing the people and events who helped create Minnesota,” said Hann. “The flag the DFL has eliminated was a version of the historic flag our regiments fought under during the Civil War. Minnesota was the first state to offer troops to the Union cause in 1861, beginning a long tradition of leading the nation in confronting injustice. The DFL quest to erase our history is repugnant and should be rejected.”

Bergstrom added, “As a Native American and tribal member, it is exhausting to see Native Americans once again bearing the brunt of the short-sighted eradication of our shared history. Keeping the current flag would have been a powerful acknowledgment from the Walz Administration and the DFL that our Native contributions are valued. The new flag erases every trace of our contributions and every trace of us. With eleven federally recognized Tribes who call Minnesota home, the DFL flag design is an insult and an affront to the sacrifices and contributions we have made to our state.”

Hann and Bergstrom join a growing contingent of Minnesotans who have publicly denounced the new flag. One county commission has refused it entirely, and county government officials are raising concerns about the cost of replacing the historical flag. As concerns continue to grow, Hann and Bergstrom urge Walz and the DFL-controlled legislature to respect Minnesota’s history and the people who built our state by reversing this decision.  As part of this effort, the Republican Party has launched a website to save the current state flag. Visit SaveTheMNFlag.com to learn more.

###