As part of News is Out’s Election 2022 coverage, we are looking at races all over the country and sharing campaigns of key LGBTQ+ candidates.
Name: Alicia Kozlowski (Yellow Cloud Woman)
Office: Minnesota House of Representatives, District 8B
Bio: Kozlowski, who uses they/them pronouns, is queer and Two-Spirit.
They were born in Duluth, MN to an Ojibwe mother and Mexican father, and was raised there by their grandmother. They attended undergrad at University of Minnesota Duluth, and earned an MBA from the College of St. Scholastica. They were also the first Latina-Ojibwe to serve on Duluth’s Executive Leadership Team. They live in Duluth with their partner Samantha and 8-year-old child.
They are endorsed by Minnesota Nurses Association, Moms Demand Action, Victory Fund and Minnesota Association of Professional Employees among others.
Opponent: Republican Becky Hall ran unopposed in her primary and information on the candidate is limited. Hall has campaigned on a platform of support for law enforcement and maintaining energy pipelines and mining operations. Hall has run for Minnesota House of Representatives twice before, in 2006 and 2014.
Most important issue in the race: According to an op-ed written by Kozlowski in the Duluth News Tribune, their mother died in 2020 while awaiting stable housing and addiction assistance. Kozlowski has made food and housing stability and the environment some of their top priorities. For Hall, improving infrastructure and spending fewer tax dollars overall have come up in interviews.
The significance of or historic first if Kozlowski wins: If Kozlowski wins, they will be the first Two-Spirit person to represent District 8B.
What the campaign is like on the ground: As of July 18, spending in the 2022 race between Kozlowski and Hall stands at roughly $33,000, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. Recent polling numbers are not available at the time of reporting.