Minnesota Republicans have come out swinging against the new state flag finalized late last year by the State Emblems Redesign Commission.

Republican Party of Minnesota chairman David Hann and deputy Chairwoman Donna Bergstrom have joined voices in greater Minnesota that have denounced the flag.

Hann decried the new flag in a Wednesday statement, saying the old flag has historical importance and that Minnesotans fought under it during the Civil War.

Minnesota’s old flag, adopted in 1893, is built around the state’s seal on a dark-blue background. Surrounding the seal are 19 stars representing Minnesota as the 19th state to join the Union after the 13 original American colonies, and three dates: 1819 for the founding of Fort Snelling, 1858 for statehood and 1893 for the flag’s adoption. The flag has been tweaked multiple times since, with the most recent version adopted in 1957.

The Minnesota state flag as adopted by the 1957 legislature. (Courtesy of the Minnesota Secretary of State)

The old state seal of Minnesota depicts a white farmer tilling the soil, with a gun leaning against a nearby stump as a Native American riding a horse nearby looks in his direction. The original seal showed the Native rider headed west into the sunset, but state lawmakers in 1983 officially changed the direction to the south.

The new flag, based on a design submitted by a 24-year-old resident of Luverne in southwestern Minnesota, has an eight-pointed “Star of the North,” an abstract outline of the state in dark blue and a lighter blue that represents the state’s water.

“The DFL quest to erase our history is repugnant and should be rejected,” Hann said.

A large state government bill signed into law by DFL Gov. Tim Walz last year created a 13-member commission tasked with exploring new design options for the state seal and flag. The impetus for the decision was long-standing concern that the symbols were racist and of poor, indistinct designs.

The North American Vexillological Association ranks Minnesota’s old flag in 67th place out of 72 U.S. and Canadian state and provincial flags. The group rates the final choice an “A-plus.”

The flag-and-seal commission included members of the state’s tribal and other communities of color. The commission also included a representative from the Minnesota Historical Society and four non-voting legislators, two DFL and two Republican.

In addition to the state Republican Party condemning the flag, Crow Wing County commissioners in Brainerd recently approved a resolution opposing the new flag.

The new flag and seal will become official on May 11 — Statehood Day — unless lawmakers act to undo the commission’s work. That’s not considered likely given DFL control of the Legislature.

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