Krista Knudsen

Krista Knudsen (/kəˈnuːdsən/ kə-NOOD-sən; born December 28, 1979) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, Knudsen represents District 5A in northern Minnesota, which includes the city of Park Rapids and parts of Becker, Cass, Hubbard and Wadena Counties.

Knudsen attended college at Minnesota State University, Mankato, earning a bachelor's degree in social work and alcohol and drug studies.

Knudsen served on the Lake Shore City Council for eight years before becoming mayor in 2020.

Knudsen was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2022. She first ran after redistricting and after three-term Republican incumbent John Poston announced he would not seek reelection.

Knudsen serves on the Education Finance and Education Policy Committees.

In 2025, Knudsen co-sponsored a bill to designate messenger RNA (mRNA) treatments, which include several COVID-19 vaccines, "weapons of mass destruction", and make possessing or administering them a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The bill was drafted by a Florida-based hypnotist and conspiracy theorist who believes that mRNA treatments are "nanoparticle injections" that amount to "biological and technological weapons of mass destruction".

Knudsen lives in Lake Shore, Minnesota with her husband, Kevin, and four children.