Editor’s note: Ahead of Tuesday’s election, MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst asked Minnesota candidates for governor Amy Klobuchar and Lisa Demuth to talk about how their lives helped form their political lives. Here’s Demuth. Click here for Klobuchar.
Lisa Demuth’s life as a biracial kid in small-town Minnesota in the ‘60s and the struggles her family faced play foundational roles in her politics.
She remembers being teased about her parents as a child, prompting a move to the city. Her parents’ divorce left her mom on food stamps. Demuth leaned on those challenges as she rose from school board member to state lawmaker to speaker of the Minnesota House. “I never quite fit in where people thought I should be,” she said, “and so that’s never held me back.”
The Cold Spring Republican would become the first woman and first person of color to be governor of Minnesota if she’s elected on Nov. 3.
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Source: www.mprnews.org
