Jen McEwen
Member of the Minnesota Senate
from the 8th district
Assumed office
January 5, 2021
Preceded byErik Simonson
Personal details
Born (1977-05-14) May 14, 1977 (age 46)
Carbondale, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic (DFL)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic Socialists of America[a]
ResidenceDuluth, Minnesota
Alma materUniversity of Maine
Hamline University School of Law
ProfessionAttorney

Jennifer A. McEwen (/mɪˈkjuːɪn/ mih-KEW-in; born May 14, 1977) is a Minnesota politician and member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), she represents Senate District 8, which includes the city of Duluth in St. Louis County.

Early life, education, and career

McEwen is a Duluth native who had received her B.A. from the University of Maine. She then attended the Hamline University School of Law, earning a J.D. She became an attorney for disabled workers and board president of the Damiano Center, where she has worked with families struggling with food security.[2] McEwen was also previously a public defender.[3] She has two children.[3]

Minnesota State Senate

In 2020, McEwen challenged incumbent Senator Erik Simonson for the DFL endorsement in District 7. She won the endorsement and the primary, with 77% of the vote.[4] She then won the general election against Republican nominee Donna Bergstrom, a second-time candidate who ran against Simonson in 2016, with just over 68% of the vote.[5] McEwen was reelected in 2022.[6] She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).[7]

McEwen serves on the following committees:[8]

In the 93rd Minnesota Legislature, as chair of the Labor Committee, McEwen oversaw reforms that required paid sick leave for all employees and banned non-compete agreements.[3] She authored a bill to increase the liability of contractors for wage theft.[3] She also wrote and sponsored the Protect Reproductive Options Act, which protects abortion rights in Minnesota, after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.[9][10] McEwen authored and supported legislation to reestablish passenger rail service between the Twin Cities and Duluth, the Northern Lights Express.[11] In addition, she was the primary sponsor of a bill to provide $240 million to replace lead service lines across Minnesota, which passed and was signed into law in May 2023.[12][13]

See also

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ Democratic Socialists of America is not a registered political party, instead, it is a political organization for those with democratic socialist ideology.[1]

References

  1. ^ Stein, Jeff (2017-08-05). "9 questions about the Democratic Socialists of America you were too embarrassed to ask". Vox. Archived from the original on 2018-11-11. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  2. ^ Aug 12th 2020 - 10am, Teri Cadeau | (12 August 2020). "McEwen advances to Minnesota Senate District 7 general election". Duluth News Tribune. Archived from the original on 2021-01-15. Retrieved 2021-01-12.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ a b c d Nesterak, Max (29 June 2023). "The players who made the big plays: Minnesota lawmakers worth watching". Minnesota Reformer. Archived from the original on 2023-06-29. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  4. ^ "What a progressive DFLer's primary victory in Duluth says (and doesn't say) about politics and environmental policy in northern Minnesota". MinnPost. 2020-08-13. Archived from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  5. ^ "Index - Election Results". electionresults.sos.state.mn.us. Archived from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  6. ^ Passi, Peter (2022-11-09). "McEwen retains Duluth's Senate District 8 seat". Duluth News Tribune. Archived from the original on 2022-11-18. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  7. ^ Dreier, Peter (2020-12-11). "The Number Of Democratic Socialists In The House Will Soon Double. But The Movement Scored Its Biggest Victories Down Ballot". Talking Points Memo. Archived from the original on 2021-07-26. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  8. ^ "MN State Senate". www.senate.mn. Archived from the original on 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  9. ^ Bierschbach, Briana (28 January 2023). "What you need to know about abortion bills moving at the Minnesota Capitol". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2023-01-28. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  10. ^ Derosier, Alex (2023-01-27). "Minnesota Senate set to vote on abortion rights protections". Detroit Lakes Tribune. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  11. ^ Derosier, Alex (24 January 2023). "Advocates of Twin Cities-Duluth passenger rail service say they are more optimistic about approval". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  12. ^ Derosier, Alex (2023-05-09). "Minnesota Senate approves $240 million for lead-pipe replacement". Duluth News Tribune. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  13. ^ Wiley, Michelle (2023-05-16). "Walz signs $240 million lead pipe removal bill". MPR News. Archived from the original on 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
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