For first time, Minnesota will send more women than men to Congress

While Tuesday’s election left the Minnesota Legislature more evenly split than the past two years of the “DFL trifecta,” the state’s delegation to Congress looks to not only be mostly blue, but mostly women.

Of the 10 representatives Minnesota is sending to Congress, seven will be women and six will be DFL women. Before the election, there were five male and five female lawmakers from Minnesota in Congress.

U.S. House DFL Reps. Ilhan Omar, Betty McCollum and Angie Craig and Republican Rep. Michelle Fischbach will return to D.C. after winning reelection Tuesday. They are set to be joined by newcomer DFL Rep. Kelly Morrison and longtime U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. Reps. Tom Emmer, Brad Finstad and Pete Stauber make up the remainder of Minnesota’s Congressional delegation.

In 2001, McCollum was the only woman serving in the 10-seat delegation.

“Women aren’t just leading the DFL Party — they are leading Minnesota,” said DFL Chair Ken Martin. “Speaker (Melissa) Hortman and leaders (Sen. Kari) Dziedzic and (Sen. Erin) Murphy shepherded through extraordinary wins for working families, like paid family leave and free school meals. And the DFL women leading our Congressional delegation have been on the frontlines of lowering prescription drug prices and protecting affordable health care.”

Trailblazers in office

This pool of women hasn’t been without firsts.

Klobuchar was Minnesota’s first woman elected to U.S. Senate in 2006. Omar was the first Somalian American in Congress in 2019. Craig was the first openly gay mother to be elected to Congress in 2019. In 1994, Fischbach was Paynesville’s first woman to be elected to the city council.

While not the first, Morrison will continue the trailblazing trend, serving as Congress’ only current pro-choice OB-GYN.

“If you would have told me years ago when I was delivering a baby that I would say be standing here as your next Congresswoman for the 3rd District, I would have left and said, ‘No way,’ ” Morrison said at the DFL’s election night party on Tuesday. “But what my story shows is that every single one of us has a role in our democracy.”

All seven of the women running for congressional seats won comfortably on Tuesday, with none of their competitors coming within 10%.

“The reason that the DFL nominates and elects so many women is because the women leading our party today are the most effective leaders our party has ever seen,” Martin said. “All six of these women won in landslides, including in two districts that are now probably out of reach for Republicans for a generation. From Amy Klobuchar to Angie Craig and Kelly Morrison, the DFL will continue to invest in the success of the women who defied a challenging national environment to score historic victories.”

Klobuchar reflected on where Minnesota has come since she became the state’s first woman in the Senate in 2006.

“I think you all know that when I ran for Senate, the first time, when I ran for county attorney, I was the first woman in both those jobs, and I didn’t run on that, because I believe you have to run on your merit, but it’s also important that we represent the entire population of Minnesota, so kind of cool,” she said.

Falling short of another milestone

Another possible first for Minnesota women on Tuesday night was Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s potential ascension to governor if Gov. Tim Walz had been elected vice president. Walz ran as the running mate for presidential candidate and current Vice President Kamala Harris.

Flanagan would have been the first Native American female governor in United States history, as well as Minnesota’s first female governor. Eighteen other states have not had a female governor.

When the presidential election was still uncertain, Flanagan addressed the crowd at the DFL’s election night party, briefly touching on the prospect of her governorship.

“Whatever my job is tomorrow or a month from now, or a year from now, or 20 years from now, I will always be here to listen to your struggles and your successes, I will work to make the changes that we need here together in Minnesota,” she said.

Flanagan has not made any public statements since the presidential election was called for Donald J. Trump on Wednesday morning.