TakeAction’s political director stepping down from organization

Political director Ryan Greenwood is leaving TakeAction Minnesota at the end of the year. Greenwood has overseen the liberal advocacy group’s political organizing since its inception four years ago. Prior to that he filled a similar role with Progressive Minnesota, which merged with Minnesota Alliance for Progressive Action to form the new organization.

According to an email sent out to friends and associates today, Greenwood has no immediate professional plans, but he does have a plane ticket booked for India come January. “I plan on hitting the three month tourist visa maximum there exploring a part of the world I have never been to – riding trains, doing a lot of yoga, and drinking a lot of tea,” Greenwood writes. “After that? It’s an open book. I may come back to Minnesota to explore the things I love about this state at a slower pace for the spring and summer months. Another political passion I may pursue is connecting with the peace movement and working to help it build stronger electoral power.”

TakeAction is widely credited with helping Democrats make major gains in state House and Senate races during the last two election cycles. But this year several of the group’s endorsed candidates went down to defeat in a GOP wave. TakeAction also played a major role in the governor’s race for the first time. Its endorsed candidate, House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, lost a primary battle to Mark Dayton.