Esther Agbaje

Esther Agbaje was born on March 19, 1985, and is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2021. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party *, she represents *District 59B, which encompasses portions of north and downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County.

Agbaje was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2020 after winning the DFL endorsement and defeating four-term incumbent Raymond Dehn in the primary election. She has been reelected in both 2022 and 2024, currently serving her third term.

Her parents immigrated to Minnesota from Nigeria. She is passionate about housing, civil rights, and public health advocacy.

Education

Agbaje holds three degrees:

• Bachelor's degree in Political Science from The George Washington University
• Master's degree in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania
• Juris Doctor from Harvard University

Political Experience and Notable Achievements

Agbaje's professional background includes work as a Foreign Affairs Officer at the U.S. Department of State , as an Associate Attorney at Ciresi Conlin LLP , and currently as a Lead Staff Attorney at the Public Health Law Center . She was recognized as a 2019 Attorney of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer.

Key legislative accomplishments include:

• CROWN Act: Authored legislation that adds natural hairstyles to the definition of race and protects Minnesotans from discrimination based on hairstyle. The bill passed both chambers and was signed into law in 2023.
• Reproductive rights: In 2023, authored a bill providing legal protections to patients traveling to Minnesota for abortion services and their providers.
• Housing initiatives: Secured $150 million in down payment assistance for first-generation homebuyers and authored the Tenants' Rights Bill to hold landlords accountable.
• Family preservation: Led the African American Family Preservation Act to prevent unnecessary family separation.
• Anti-displacement efforts: Established the Anti-Displacement Community Prosperity Program to support residents and small businesses during the METRO Blue Line Extension.
• Pandemic relief: Extended eviction moratorium protections to keep families housed.
• Healthcare access: Sponsored a bill allowing undocumented immigrants to access MinnesotaCare, the state's health insurance for low-income families.

Agbaje currently serves as Co-Vice Chair of the Ways and Means Committee and sits on the Agriculture Finance and Policy and Taxes committees.