West St. Paul, Minn. (Jan. 25, 2016) — Maureen Ramirez, a longtime advocate for Minnesota’s students and families, with deep roots in this community, announced she is a candidate for state Senate in District 52.
Ramirez is seeking the DFL endorsement on March 12. After four decades of dedicated service in the legislature, DFL State Senator Jim Metzen shared his plans to retire over the weekend.
“I want to bring a new voice and perspective to the Senate. My great-grandparents were migrant workers who moved from Mexico to the West Side, to West St. Paul. I grew up in a union household, raised by a teacher and IBEW machinist. My sister and I are the first on my dad’s side to graduate from college,” Ramirez said.
“I’m running for the state Senate to ensure that all Minnesotans can prosper. As a mom of 11 year old and 8 year old girls, I care deeply about the future and have nearly 20 years of experience building partnerships for better education, workforce, and civic policies.”
As a nonprofit leader, she has successfully worked with legislators to increase state investments dedicated to closing the achievement gap.
After college, Ramirez, 39, worked on Minnesota’s Dream Act; “Immigrant families shouldn’t have to wait four generations to send their children to college,” she said. Several years later, she was the first Latina elected to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents and served from 2007-2013.
Ramirez and her partner, Jim Harkness, live in West St. Paul in the home her grandmother lived in, and are raising two daughters who attend neighborhood public schools. She has served as the Policy & Research Director for Growth & Justice since 2012. She is currently earning an Executive MBA from the University of Minnesota.
