Leigh Finke is a Democratic-Farmer-Labor member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 66A in northern St. Paul, including the Midway neighborhood. Elected in 2022 and serving her second term, she made history as the first out transgender woman elected to the Minnesota Legislature. A mother of two children, media professional, and longtime Saint Paul resident originally raised in Delano and Maple Grove, Finke is a passionate advocate for 2SLGBTQIA+ equality, abortion rights, prison justice, and environmental equity. Notable achievements include being named Minnesota Woman of the Year by USA Today in 2023, a 2023 Changemaker by Minnesota Public Radio, and recipient of the 2023 Health Hero Award from Children’s Minnesota.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: B.A. in English from Bethel University ; M.A. in literature from DePaul University .
• Political Experience: Elected to the Minnesota House in 2022. Current committee assignments include Co-Vice Chair of Judiciary Finance and Civil Law, Commerce Finance and Policy, and Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy. Serves as House Chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus and former chair of the Queer Legislators’ Caucus. Prior activism includes protesting the Iraq War at Bethel, board service with Stonewall DFL, and work in communications for ACLU-Minnesota, journalism, documentary filmmaking, and renewable energy policy. Currently operates her own video production business.