SAINT PAUL, MN—Today, State Representative Susan Allen (DFL-Minneapolis) announced her decision not to seek reelection to the Minnesota House in 2018. Rep. Allen was first elected to represent residents of south Minneapolis in a special election in January of 2012 and will be finishing her third complete term in 2018. Rep. Allen represents District 62B, the Minneapolis neighborhoods of Powderhorn, Central, Bryant, Kingfield, Lyndale, Regina, and Field.
“Bringing the many diverse voices of South Minneapolis to the legislature has been a great privilege.” said Rep. Allen. “Even in the times when we faced great adversity, I have been eager to serve my community every day, to be a voice for those left out of the political system, and stand up and keep fighting for greater equity and social justice for all Minnesota families. I am deeply grateful for the trust they’ve placed in me to be their voice. We have accomplished so much that I am proud of during my time at the Legislature, including passing marriage equality, improving education for Minnesota’s children, raising the minimum wage statewide and indexing it to inflation, strengthening the voices of women in our economy through the passage of the Women’s Economic Security Act, and elevating the voices of Native American Minnesotans as they seek to stop the destruction of their sacred lands, air, and water.”
Rep. Allen, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Oyate Lakota) and lawyer practicing in the areas of federal and tribal law and taxation, has been a trailblazing member of the Minnesota Legislature. She was the first openly lesbian Native American woman elected to any state legislature, the first female Native American elected to the Minnesota Legislature, and in 2017, a founding member of the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus. She proudly joined the largest class of Native American legislators ever to serve in the Minnesota House in 2017. Rep. Allen is grateful for the support of her partner Amber Gianera, son Philip, grandchildren and extended family members.
“It was never my intent to serve in the Legislature forever, but rather to answer a call to public service at a time when racial minorities were severely underrepresented in the Legislature. Since that time an increasing number of candidates from minority backgrounds have stepped up to run for public office at all levels of government. I also have faith in our community’s ability to send another bold activist Legislator to the Capitol to represent the progressive views of our district. We’ll be in good hands,” said Rep. Allen. “I will continue to stay engaged for the fights to come, and protecting the investments we’ve made. There is so much more work to do to overcome barriers to justice and equity for many struggling Minnesotans, and I look forward to continuing to be a part of that effort in other capacities.”
Rep. Susan Allen is the DFL-Lead for the House Subcommittee on Aging and Long-Term Care, and also serves on the Commerce and Regulatory Reform, Health and Human Services Finance, and Health and Human Services Reform Committees. She can be reached at rep.susan.allen@house.mn or by phone at (651) 296-7152.
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