Leigh Finke

Leigh Finke is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), Finke represents District 66A in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Roseville and Saint Paul, and parts of Ramsey County in Minnesota.[1][2]

Leigh Finke
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 66A district
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byAlice Hausman
Constituency66A (2023-present)
Personal details
BornMinnesota
Political partyDemocratic (DFL)
Children2
ResidenceSaint Paul, Minnesota
EducationBethel University (BA)
DePaul University (MA)
Occupation
WebsiteGovernment website Campaign website

Early life, education and career

Finke was born in Minnesota to a Jewish family. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature in 2003 and a Master of Arts in Shakespeare from DePaul University.[3][1]

From 2007 to 2008, Finke worked as an adjunct professor of at DePaul University and Normandale Community College. Finke worked in renewable energy policy advocacy from 2011 to 2015. From 2013 to 2019 she was a reporter for Yes!, where she covered the intersection of justice movements and popular culture. From 2015 to 2018, she was a project manager at Sparkhouse. From 2018 to 2021, Finke was the senior producer at 1517 Media. There, she wrote and produced two documentary films: Ending the Silence: Confronting Sexual Shame in the Church and White Savior: Racism in the American Church. She also edited two nonfiction books for Beaming Books: Queerfully and Wonderfully Made and Welcoming and Affirming. In 2021 and 2022, she worked as Multimedia Storyteller for the ACLU of Minnesota.[4] In late 2022, she was publicly critical of Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen for spreading the transphobic litter boxes in schools hoax.[5]

Minnesota House of Representatives

Finke was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2022. She first ran after legislative redistricting and the retirement of 17-term DFL incumbent Alice Hausman.[1]

Finke serves on the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy, Human Services Policy, Judiciary Finance and Civil Law, and Legacy Finance Committees.[1]

Awards and honors

In 2023, Finke was named as one of USA Today's Women of the Year, which recognizes women who have made a significant impact across the country.[6]

Electoral history
2022 DFL Primary - Minnesota State House - District 66A[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Leigh Finke 4,034 63.17
Democratic (DFL) Dave Thomas 2,352 36.83
Total votes 6,386 100%
2022 Minnesota State House - District 66A[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Leigh Finke 15,635 81.14
Republican Trace Johnson 3,569 18.52
Total votes 19,268 100%
Democratic (DFL) hold

Personal life

Finke is the first openly transgender person to serve in the Minnesota Legislature.[4] She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, and has two children.[1]

References
  1. "Finke, Leigh - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present". www.lrl.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  2. "Rep. Leigh Finke (66A) - Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
  3. Eidsvoog, Emma; Johnson, Makenzi (2021-03-23). "Places to breathe". bethelclarion.com. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
  4. "Leigh Finke to become first transgender legislator in Minnesota House". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
  5. Stroozas, Sam (October 3, 2022). "Jensen spreads false rumor about Minnesota's LGBTQ+ youth". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  6. Most, Becca (19 March 2023). "'Our movements for justice are lifelong': Meet Minnesota's first transgender legislator". St. Cloud Times. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  7. "2022 Results for State Representative District 66A". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  8. "2022 Results for State Representative District 66A". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 25, 2023.


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