The Women are HERE!

MN Midterm Elections 2023

Anika Robbins,

Publisher, & President, Black Votes Matter MN

The road to 2024...the short and long of it

Since our inception in 2015, we could see the future…and it was WOMAN! The 2023 races see an unprecedented number of women running for city council and school board - on both sides of the river - and throughout Greater Minnesota. This should come as no surprise what with the gender pay gap, the reversal of Roe v. Wade, Affirmative Action…the attack on a Black Women-led venture capital firm:))

Women and families are still reeling from post-pandemic effects: high food costs, high rents, lack of affordable housing stock. Women and Millenials are also seeking a more flexible work-life balance, affordable healthcare and access to capital. Following the mass exodus during COVID-19, employers are vying for a mass return to the workplace. Even with hiring bonuses, flex time and other enticements, response is met with a slow clap at best. The return to ‘normal’ is not going quite as planned.

So here’s what’s happening…

More than half of all St. Paul city council wards include women candidates. The heated Ward 1 race includes all newcomers, including Anika Bowie and Omar Syed. In a historic twist, there are no incumbents in wards 3, 5 and 7. This could lead to a dramatic shift of power on the council.

In Minneapolis, Ward 8 Incumbent, Andrea Jenkins, faces a few challengers. Wards 12 and 7 are newcomer races, with no incumbent. The Ward 7 race is one to watch as the outgoing council member, Lisa Goodman, has served for 25 years.

Around the state, women - Black Women and Women of Color - are stepping up and in the race! From School board races in Duluth, Hopkins/Minnetonka, St. Paul; to mayoral candidates in the outer ring suburbs of Bloomington, St. Louis Park, Golden Valley and Minnetonka, we expect this to be a trend that becomes the standard going forward

Tax levies, property tax increases, managing legalized cannabis, ongoing government infrastructure framing, public safety and violence prevention, economic development, opioid crisis management, are just some of what you are voting on this cycle. The results of these local municipal races can, and will, affect you and your family in the immediate. They will certainly inform the 2024 presidential race. Think short and long game before heading to the polls. As always, do your homework, make an informed decision and VOTE.