MN Senate Candidates - #FlipTheMNSenate
We are so proud of Alicia Donahue and Jackie Craig, our colleagues and former leaders in Women’s March MN. Both are formidable, forward-thinking, hard-working women who are dedicated to improving their communities and indeed our whole state.
They are part of a wave folks are calling #FlipTheMNSenate, and while we support several campaigns that we are hoping will flip, we will cheer loudest for our dear friends when they win!
· Alicia Donahue is a founding member of Women’s March Minnesota! She is running for the Senate in SD54 (Shakopee, Jordan). As a licensed clinical social worker, Alicia has dedicated her life to support others. Her passion in supporting her community has led to her volunteerism above and beyond the regular workday. Issues that are important to her include the economy, education, healthcare, and public safety.
· Jackie Craig is running for the Senate seat in SD57, which includes the Lakeville area. She has a long history of serving in spaces dedicated to supporting her community. She is passionate about education, creating a thriving economy, safe communities, and affordable healthcare. As a former volunteer and board member of Women’s March Minnesota she demonstrated her commitment to progressive causes that lift up and support women and those with historically marginalized identities.
#FlipTheMNSenate
For the midterm elections, we are prioritizing our efforts on Senate districts that will help #FlipTheMnSenate. These are progressive women candidates who are running against candidates that support propaganda and have extremist ideology.
We have chosen to focus our efforts on the Senate, because the Senate has an anti-progress majority that has repeatedly stopped important bills that we care about from getting through.
Starting this month we will be knocking doors, writing postcards and more in support of some Senate candidates. Please join us at these events.
These are the four candidates (in no particular priority order):
1. Heather Gustafson - SD36 (White Bear Lake, Vadnais Heights, Lino Lakes, Centerville, North Oaks)
2. Kelly Morrison – SD45 (St. Bonafacius, Minnetonka, Long Lake, Wayzata, Spring Park, Greenwood, Excelsior)
3. Kari Rehrauer - SD35 (Coon Rapids/Anoka)
4. Judy Seeberger - SD41 (Cottage Grove/Hastings/Lake Elmo -- St. Croix Valley)
Candidate info:
Heather Gustafson a teacher in the Vadnais Heights school district and mother of four. She is running as a new candidate in SD36. The cities in this area include White Bear Lake, Vadnais Heights, Lino Lakes, Centerville, and North Oaks. As a new candidate some of her top areas of interest include building a strong economy, education, safety, and protection from those that would legislate our bodies, who we choose to love, and our ability to vote. Find her website here
Kelly Morrison is a physician who had previously been a Representative in the MN House (33b) for two terms who is now running as a candidate in the newly redistricted SD45. Her area includes cities such as St. Bonafacius, Minnetrista, Long Lake, Wayzata, Spring Park, Greenwood, and Excelsior. Kelly has been a strong supporter of legislation that promotes and protects reproductive justice, mental health, the environment, healthcare, and education. Please check out her website here
Kari Rehrauer has been an active City Council member in Coon Rapids since 2020. She had previously had a career in teaching. She is pursuing a Senate seat in SD35 which represents the Coon Rapids and Anoka areas. With her background in teaching she is a strong supporter of education. She also has a passion for the environment, worker’s rights, unions, building a solid infrastructure, safety, protecting reproductive rights, and supporting marginalized populations. More about Judy can be found on her site.
Judy Seeberger has an impressive work history having experience as a teacher, paramedic, lawyer, and fire fighter while also being a military wife and mother. She is running in the newly formed SD41 which includes the communities of Cottage Grove, Hastings, Lake Elmo, and the St. Croix valley area. Areas that she would like to elevate include topics related to building a strong economy, safety, protect reproductive healthcare, and supporting all individuals within her district. You can learn more about Judy on her website.
The midterms in our State are extremely important. Protecting reproductive rights in Minnesota, ensuring safe and fair elections, protecting and elevating voices of marginalized populations, protecting public education, equitable distribution of money and resources, and stopping the spread of extremist ideology are ALL in the balance.
Volunteers are truly the unsung heroes that can make a HUGE difference in pushing change. Our efforts to protect our State and put people in leadership positions that promote legislation that creates a Minnesota that we can all be proud about makes everything we do in the next couple of months very important. Please join us to support all of the above candidates and help #FliptheMnSenate.
Please Note:
For an immediate list for Pro-Choice House candidates, Women Winning has a list of both Senate and House candidates that have been vetted and written up. Here is the link.