Denise Cardinal is the executive director of the left-of-center activist organization WIN Minnesota. ^[1] She has held communications and political roles for liberal candidates, causes, campaigns, and elected officials for more than 20 years. ^[2]

Cardinal is also the director of the Democratic-aligned WIN Minnesota Political Action Committee, ^{[3] [4]} an advisor to the left-of-center Committee on States, and a former employee of National Education Association (NEA) teachers’ union. ^{[5] [6]}

Career

Denise Cardinal is a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota finance professional ^[7] and labor union and Democratic Party activist who has been the executive director of the left-of-center activist organization WIN Minnesota since February 2015. ^[8] She has held communications and political roles for left-progressive candidates, causes, campaigns, and elected officials for more than 20 years ^[9] and was recently the chair of the 2022 Fund (formerly known as the 2018 Fund), a left-of-center activist group in Minnesota. ^[10]

In addition to her role at WIN Minnesota, Cardinal is also the executive director of the Democratic-aligned WIN Minnesota Political Action Committee. ^{[11] [12]} She is an advisor to the left-of-center Committee on States to support other left-of-center state policy groups ^[13] and is the president of St. Paul-based Cardinal Insight consulting firm, where she works to “help progressive policies and candidates win.” ^{[14] [15]}

At Cardinal Insights, she works on issue and political campaign management, coalition managing, strategic communications, political communications, crisis communications, grassroots organizing, media relations, media training, writing, editing, research, and speechwriting. ^[16]

In 2017 while still working at WIN Minnesota, Cardinal facilitated discussions at left-of-center Democracy Alliance’s 2017 national donor summit. ^[17] She has also participated in conference programming in other years. ^[18]

Prior to joining WIN Minnesota, Cardinal was the executive director of the left-of-center ProgressNow and ProgressNow Education Fund from 2011 until 2013. ^[19]

In 2006, Cardinal moved to Minnesota to be the communications director for left-of-center America Votes Minnesota. ^[20] She helped start the liberal ^[21] Alliance for a Better Minnesota (ABM) in 2007 and led the organization until 2010, in which ABM attacked Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer throughout the campaign, playing a major role in the election of Governor Mark Dayton (D-MN). ^[22] Cardinal was the senior press officer of the NEA, where she focused on the No Child Left Behind Act, from 2001 until 2005. ^{[23] [24]}

Conrad has also worked for former U.S. Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) and has been on the board of directors for Minnesotans United for All Families, left-of-center Minnesota Voice, and the advisory board for the Funders Committee for Civic Participation (FCCP), a donor affinity group for left-wing voter engagement advocacy. ^[25]

Prior to working in politics, Cardinal worked at newspapers in Nevada, Idaho, and Iowa. ^[26]

Political Contributions

Denise Cardinal has made Federal Election Commission-reportable campaign contributions to U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) and the left-of-center funding intermediary ActBlue. ^[27]

Personal Information

Denise Cardinal holds a bachelor of the arts in communication, journalism, and related programs from Drake University. She was born in Stillwater, Minnesota, and lives in St. Paul. ^{[28] [29]}