Veteran DFL politico Jim Niland is taking a leave from his job as political and legislative director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 5 to head a DFL election group for the 2014 election.
Starting this week, he’s head of the United Democratic Fund-DFL Coordinated Campaign, where he’ll “direct field activities that will maximize DFL voter turnout in 2014.”
A former Minneapolis City Council member, Niland worked for the DFL during Gov. Mark Dayton’s 2010 election and in 2012 he was the Get out the Vote director for the Coordinated Campaign. He also worked on Sen. Paul Wellstone’s 2002 election.
“We have to protect the gains we won in the 2012 election by keeping the majority in the State House, reelecting Gov. Dayton and Sen. Franken and making sure Democrats up and down the ticket win their races,” Niland said in a statement.
He’ll report to the UDF Board, the State DFL chair, and the DFL executive director.
