Clare Oumou Verbeten is an American politician serving as a member of the Minnesota Senate for the 66th district since 2023. She and

Erin Maye Quade Erin Maye Quade (born March 12, 1986) is an American politician from the state of Minnesota. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Party, she served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2017 to 2019. She was the DFL-endorse ...

were the first openly LGBTQ women and first Black women elected to the Minnesota Senate.

Early life and education

Oumou Verbeten was born and raised in Minnesota. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in law and society from

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

in 2016.

Career

As a college student, Oumou Verbeten worked as an intern for the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, the National Immigrant Women's Advocacy Project, Women Winning, and the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

. She returned to the Minnesota DFL in 2016 as deputy public affairs director. In 2017 and 2018, she was the deputy political director for Tim Walz's gubernatorial campaign. After the campaign, Oumou Verbeten worked as deputy political director of the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters and as a community affairs specialist for Mortenson Construction. From 2019 to 2022, she served as an equity and inclusion program manager for the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oumou Verbeten, Clare Living people Democratic Party Minnesota state senators American University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians