Meet Jen

And my super cute corgis

I’m a wife and working mom, and I’m running to represent Minnesota House District 31B.

Early life

I grew up in Bakersfield, California. My mom was a union member, UFCW local 8, and my dad worked as a tree trimmer in our family business. They didn’t pay much attention to politics, they weren’t activists. My parents just worked, bought a house, paid their bills, took a yearly vacation, and made sure I went to school. I was not destined for political office.

"What radicalized you?"

It wasn’t until 2009 and the fight for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that I started getting involved in politics. After living in London for five years and experiencing their universal healthcare, the National Health Service, I joined the effort to convince Rep. Jim Acosta (D-CA) to support the ACA.

From there, I jumped straight in – I became president of the Bakersfield Democratic Club, served on the Kern County Democratic Central Committee, was elected to be an Assembly delegate to the California State Democratic Party, and co-founded the only reproductive rights advocacy group in Kern County.

Meanwhile, I took over the family business, passing the California state contractor’s license test before I turned 30. I also started my career in public service with Kern County Code Compliance, joining SEIU local 521.

In the background of all of this, there was a relentless series of unprecedented once-in-a-lifetime events. The 9/11 terrorist attacks, a 20-year war, the 2005 terrorist attacks in London, The Great Recession, the 2008 housing market collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic, and now the threat of AI on an already unstable job market.

No one's coming to save us, but us

I’ve watched my friends, family, and community struggle through all of this. I hoped someone would step up and fix it. The time just wasn’t right for me to do it, between raising a two-year old and working a full-time job, I’m just out here trying to survive – like everyone else.

But the time will never be right. It’s never the perfect time to take on a challenge like this.

So, that’s why I’m running. I’m running for all of the people who would change things for the better, if they only had the chance. I’m running for my daughter, to leave her a better world. I’m running for my friends, family, and community – because they deserve better, and I want to do better, for them.