Ruth Richardson (born November 27, 1976) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician serving in the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

since 2019. A member of the

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party. As of 2022, it controls four of Minnesota's eight U.S. House seats, both of its U.S. Senate seats, the Minnesota House of Represen ...

(DFL), Richardson represents District 52B in the southeastern

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

metropolitan area, which includes the cities of

Eagan Eagan may refer to: People * Daisy Eagan (born 1979), American actress * Dennis Eagan (1926–2012), British field hockey player * Eddie Eagan (1897–1967), American sportsman * James Eagan (1926-2000), American politician from Missouri * John J. ...

and

Mendota Heights Mendota Heights is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. It is a first ring southern suburb of the Twin Cities. The population was 11,744 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Geography According to ...

and parts of

Dakota County Dakota County may refer to: *Dakota County, Minnesota in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area of east-central Minnesota *Dakota County, Nebraska Dakota County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of th2020 United States Census the populati ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Early life, education, and career

Richardson graduated from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

with a Bachelor of Arts in history and sociology and from

William Mitchell College of Law William Mitchell College of Law was a private, independent law school located in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States, from 1956 to 2015. Accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), it offered full- and part-time legal education in pursuit of ...

with a Juris Doctor. Richardson was previously the director of programs and national strategic initiatives for the Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and was the CEO of Wayside Recovery Center. Richardson currently is the CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Richardson was first elected to the

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, defeating

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

incumbent

Regina Barr Regina Barr (born February 17, 1965) is an American politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, she represented District 52B in the southeastern Twin Cities metropolitan a ...

and has been reelected every two years since. In 2020, Representative Richardson, alongside five other state representatives and three state senators, had her election results challenged. These claims were dismissed by a judge for failing to state a claim and a lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. During the 2021-2022 legislative session, Richardson served as chair of the Education Policy Committee. Currently she serves on the Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee. Richardson authored legislation to make

Juneteenth Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining "June" and "nineteenth", it is celebrated on the anniversary of General Order No. 3, i ...

an official state holiday in Minnesota, which passed the House on a vote of 126-1 and was signed by Governor Walz in February 2023.

Electoral history

Personal life

Richardson has two children and resides in

Mendota Heights, Minnesota Mendota Heights is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. It is a first ring southern suburb of the Twin Cities. The population was 11,744 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a tot ...

References

External links

Official House of Representatives website

Official campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Ruth Living people Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Women state legislators in Minnesota University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni William Mitchell College of Law alumni American women chief executives 1976 births