Photo: AP Photo/Pioneer Press/Scott Takushi
A 59-year-old transwoman plans to run for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District.
Paula Overby believes she will be the first openly transgender person from Minnesota to run for Congress.
Overby, a quality assurance analyst from Eagan, has never been a candidate or held appointed office.
She will face Thomas Craft, another political newcomer, and Mike Obermueller, who lost a 2012 bid to unseat U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Lakeville. Kline has held the seat for more than a decade.
Overby acknowledged her gender identity may be a polarizing issue, but she doesn’t want it to define her candidacy.
Overby tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that she’ll focus on reforming what she believes is a broken campaign finance system.
