MARI URNESS POKORNOWSKI
Political Organizer | Campaign Manager | Coalition Builder | Advocate | Strategist

Mari Urness Pokornowski is a political organizer, campaign manager, coalition builder, advocate, and strategist with experience spanning local, state, and national politics. Throughout her career, she has managed electoral, referendum, legislative, and issue-based campaigns; built coalitions across communities and constituencies; organized voter engagement efforts; and worked to strengthen participation in the democratic process.

EXPERIENCE

• Managed political, electoral, referendum, and issue-based campaigns at the school board, city council, legislative, congressional, U.S. Senate, and presidential levels.

• Directed voter registration, voter education, voter engagement, persuasion, and Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) efforts.

• Organized candidate forums, public debates, issue campaigns, community engagement efforts, and voter outreach initiatives.

• Recruited, trained, and mentored volunteers, candidates, campaign staff, delegates, precinct leaders, caucus leaders, and community leaders.

• Developed campaign messaging, speeches, issue education materials, public communication strategies, and outreach plans.

• Identified issues, understood audiences, developed messaging, and organized support around community, educational, legislative, and public policy concerns.

• Built coalitions among labor organizations, advocacy groups, faith communities, elected officials, grassroots leaders, and community stakeholders.

• Worked alongside leaders within African American, Native American, Asian Pacific Islander, Rural, Stonewall, Feminist (Women’s), People of Faith, and other constituency caucuses to strengthen participation, leadership development, convention engagement, and representation within Democratic Party structures.

• Organized caucuses, delegate recruitment efforts, convention participation, platform discussions, and leadership development at county, senate district, congressional district, state, and national levels.

• Lobbied at both the state and federal levels.

• Presented at conventions, trainings, public forums, candidate events, community meetings, and issue advocacy efforts.

LEADERSHIP ROLES SERVED

• Co-Chair, Minnesota DFL Platform Commission

• President, Minnesota DFL Feminist Caucus (Women’s Caucus)

• State Executive Committee Member, Minnesota DFL

• Senate District Chair, Minnesota DFL

• Associate Chair, County DFL Organization

• National Delegate, Democratic National Convention (2008)

• Member, Hillary Clinton for President Kitchen Cabinet (2008)

• Delegate to County, Senate District, Congressional District, State, and National Democratic Conventions

SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS

• Campaign Manager and Lead Organizer of a successful school levy campaign after six previous unsuccessful attempts, generating voter turnout that exceeded previous presidential election cycles despite the levy being the sole item on the ballot.

• Campaign Manager and Lead Strategist in defeating organized opposition led by national anti-public education activist Paul Dorr, becoming the second known campaign to overcome his anti-levy strategy and secure voter approval.

• Managed and led a successful NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) community campaign opposing the placement of a drug rehabilitation facility adjacent to three licensed daycare centers in a rural community, supporting the need for treatment services while successfully challenging the proposed location.

• Led issue-based campaigns involving school levies, bond referendums, public education initiatives, legislative priorities, and community concerns requiring coalition building, public engagement, voter education, and grassroots organizing.