Veteran-led. Progressive. Minnesota. We are bringing the people already doing this work into one organized coalition, and we are building it for the whole military community.
Minnesota has no shortage of progressive veterans, and no shortage of groups doing real work. There are caucuses, chapters, posts, and individual advocates across this state pulling in the same direction. What has been missing is the thing that connects them.
That is what this coalition is for. Not to replace anybody, and not to absorb anybody. To bring the people and groups already carrying progressive values into one organized coalition, around a shared table, and turn that into work that actually gets done.
On July 1, 2026, a group of us sat down at Hosmer Library in Minneapolis and started it. Not a planning meeting. The start of something.
We are still early. That is the point. The people who show up now shape what this becomes.
We swore an oath to the Constitution. Not to a party. Not to a person. Not to a flag as decoration. That oath does not expire when you take the uniform off, and it is the reason this coalition exists.
Progressives are told we do not love this country. We think the opposite is true. Demanding that a country live up to its own promises is not an attack on it. It is the highest thing you can do for it.
We swore to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. That is a commitment to a system of government and to the rule of law, not to whoever happens to be holding office at the time. Keeping that oath means holding power accountable no matter who has it, including people we voted for.
Patriotism that cannot survive criticism is not patriotism. It is marketing. We believe in due process, equal protection, free and fair elections, and a government answerable to its people. When those things are under pressure, saying so out loud is service, not disloyalty.
The promise made to people who serve is not a favor. It is a debt. Protecting veterans healthcare, standing with veterans this country deported, defending the right to vote we swore to protect. Progressive values are not a departure from the oath. For us they are what the oath looks like in practice.
Minnesota has motivated advocates, strong institutions, and 107,500 veterans served by one of the best VA facilities in the country. What it has been missing is the thing that turns individual motivation into collective output.
This list is not fixed. If you see something missing, that input is exactly what this coalition is built to collect. The best version of this comes from the room, not from one author.
Our organizers have direct relationships with Common Defense, the largest progressive grassroots veteran-led organization in the country. Founded in 2016 after #VetsVsHate proved progressive veterans exist at scale, it was built by veterans who refused to let one party claim their service.
Their mission is to mobilize veterans and military families to fight for democracy, economic and social justice, and an end to endless war. Not a traditional VSO. A movement. Minnesota is the piece they do not have yet.
The word gets used loosely, so it is worth being precise about what we are actually building and what we are asking of people.
A coalition is a group of people and organizations who keep their own identity and agree to work toward shared goals together. Nobody gets absorbed. Nobody hands over their group, their chapter, or their name. You stay exactly what you are and you gain a table to work from.
Individually, progressive veterans in Minnesota have credibility, skills, and conviction. Scattered, that stays potential. In one room, on a schedule, it becomes shared research, shared credibility, and work that lands outside the room. That difference is the entire reason to organize.
Come to the meetings. Bring what you actually have, whether that is research, writing, connections, a platform, or your story. Set the goals with the group instead of receiving them. That is the whole ask. There is no membership tier and no dues.
Who leads what, how roles get assigned, and how this coalition is formally structured are all things the group decides together. We are early enough that the people joining now help decide what this becomes.
You do not have to wait for a meeting or fill out a form. If you have a question about the coalition, want to know more before you commit, or just want to reach the organizer directly, email me. A real person, not an autoresponder.
Add your name and we will reach out personally with the meeting details and where you fit.
Join the coalition