DFL majorities: liberal, conservative or other?

In the 2006 elections, DFLers extended their majority in the Minnesota Senate, and took back the majority in the House by a decisive margin. After similar successes in 2004, there are now literally dozens of freshman or second-term DFLers in the Legislature. The dramatic changes beg a question: Are the new DFLers liberal, conservative, moderate, or something else altogether?

more insideIn comparing the post-2002 and post-2006 legislative maps, a theme emerges: the gains made by DFL candidates have not been concentrated in any one region of the state; rather, they have been spread evenly among the northern and southern suburbs, the West Metro, and southern Minnesota. These areas represent a vast swath of not just Minnesotan society, but also  American society as a whole, in various socio-economic measures. How then is it possible that a party has built a message and platform that appeals to such disparate communities?

The answer lies not in the political beliefs of DFL candidates, but in the execution of their campaigns. Certainly the DFL has plenty of liberal leaders, some moderates, and even a few conservatives. Certainly they share some political ideals