Susan Allen, an attorney of American Indian descent, has won the DFL endorsment for the open state House District 61B.
With that key endorsement and the support of many south Minneapolis politicians, it looks like she’s on track to become the first American Indian woman in the state Legislature.
She won the endorsement on the third ballot, and many feel that those challenging her for the endorsement, Nelson Inz and Josh Bassais, won’t run in a Dec. 6 primary.
The Jan. 10 special general election will fill the House seat of Jeff Hayden, who won an earlier special election to take the state Senate seat vacated by the retiring veteran legislator Linda Berglin.
On her Facebook page, Allen says:
I reflect the great diversity of our district, as a Native American woman and a member of the LGBT community, and hope to bring this important voice to the state capital to offer more balanced, representative contributions and input.
What does race have to do with her point of view? I’m Sioux and I’m a conservative.
While I long a day in which race and sexual orientation are not considered qualifications for office, that time remains far off. In fact, I’m sure I won’t live to see it.
I suspect that Ms. Allen’s experiences as a Native American and LGB or T woman are as meaningful in the legislative context as are those of law enforcement officials sitting in the House or Sentate. I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that a middle-aged white male raised in a suburban household (e.g., me) doesn’t have her perspective on or understanding of the issues faced by the groups of which she is a member.
Whether she’s qualified to represent those interests in the Legislature, and the interests of her district as a whole, is another matter entirely and one on which I have no opinion.