Tag: Governor of Minnesota

Former state Rep. Jenifer Loon, R-Eden Prairie, served from 2009 to 2019. Former state Rep. Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, served from 2007 to 2019. The moderator was University of Minnesota political science professor Kathryn Pearson, who worked on the congressional staffs of two congresswomen, one of each party. Professor Pearson said her research shows that women are underrepresented in Congress, and this is "caused by a dearth of women running." Erin Murphy said bias is often evident when people think about who is "electable." She added that politicians of both genders need to work more collaboratively. Jenifer Loon suggested that the ability to work collaboratively might be improved if state legislators went back to the system decades ago when they ran without party designation. State politicians get too caught up with national party politics now, she added. Loon said serving as a state legislator is "a noble calling, and unfortunately too much maligned. That's how we bridge the gap of partisanship and how we work towards solving problems."