Debra J. Hilstrom (born June 21, 1968) 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 and former member of 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 ...

. 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 Repr ...

(DFL), she represented District 40B, which included portions of the city of

Brooklyn Center Brooklyn Center is a first-ring suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. In 1911, the area became a village formed from parts of Brooklyn Township and Crystal Lake Township. I ...

Hennepin County Hennepin County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its county seat is Minneapolis, the state's most populous city. The county is named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. The county extends from Minneapo ...

in the

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 sta ...

metropolitan area. She was a candidate in the

2014 Minnesota Secretary of State election The 2014 Minnesota Secretary of State election was held on November 4, 2014, to elect the Minnesota Secretary of State. Incumbent Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, Democratic–Farmer–Labor Secretary of State Mark Ritchie (politicia ...

. She ran for Minnesota Attorney General in 2018, but lost the August 14 primary to Congressman Keith Ellison.

Early life, education, and career

Hilstrom graduated from

Park Center Senior High School Park Center Senior High School (PCSH) is a four-year public high school located in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, United States, on 7300 Brooklyn Blvd. PCSH is located near the border of two northwest twin cities suburbs, Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Cen ...

in Brooklyn Park, then went on to 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 land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, earning her

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in sociology in 1990. She graduated from the

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 ...

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

in 2010, earning a J.D. She served on the Brooklyn Center Planning Commission and was an advocate for the Brooklyn Center Domestic Abuse Intervention Program. She was a member of the Brooklyn Center City Council from 1995–2000.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Hilstrom was first elected in 2000 and was re-elected every two years until she did not seek re-election in 2018. She was chair of the Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee during the 2007–2008 biennium, and served as an assistant minority leader during the 2003–2004 biennium. She served as Deputy Minority Leader during the 2011–2012 legislative session.

2014 Minnesota Secretary of State campaign

Hilstrom announced on June 21, 2013 her candidacy for the 2014 Minnesota Secretary of State election.

References

External links

Rep. Debra Hilstrom
''official Minnesota House of Representatives campaign website''
Project Votesmart - Rep. Debra Hilstrom Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilstrom, Debra 1968 births Living people University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni People from Brooklyn Center, Minnesota Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives American Lutherans Women state legislators in Minnesota 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians