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Kristin Bahner
View on WikipediaKristin Bahner (/ˈbɑːnər/ BAH-nər;[1] born August 15, 1972) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Bahner represents District 37B in the northwestern Twin Cities metropolitan area, including the city of Maple Grove in Hennepin County.[2][3]
Key Information
Early life, education, and career
[edit]Bahner grew up in Richfield, Minnesota. She graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter with a bachelor of arts degree in communications.[2] She is an IT consultant and small business owner specializing in agile software development and project management.[2]
Bahner was one of the original organizers of the January 2017 Minnesota Women's March, where an estimated 110,000 people went to the Capitol, making it one of the largest single-day events in Minnesota history.[4][5][6][7]
Minnesota House of Representatives
[edit]Bahner was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018 and has been reelected every two years since. Bahner first ran unsuccessfully in 2016, challenging one-term Republican incumbent Dennis Smith. She challenged Smith again in 2018 and won.[2] In 2018, Bahner's race was one of the top three races that generated the most outside spending and was supported by the Give Smart project.[8][9]
Bahner serves as vice chair of the Human Services Finance Committee and sits on the Elections Finance and Policy, Health Finance and Policy, and State and Local Government Finance and Policy Committees. From 2021 to 2022, she was vice chair of the Human Services Finance and Policy Committee, and from 2019 to 2020 she was vice chair of the Subcommittee on Elections.[2]
Governor Tim Walz appointed Bahner to serve on the governor's Blue Ribbon Panel on IT Reform, now called the Governor's Technical Advisory Council.[2] She also was appointed chair of the Legislative Commission on Cybersecurity, which was created to identify vulnerabilities in Minnesota's cybersecurity defenses.[10][11] Bahner has authored legislation that would make it easier for women to get access to long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) shortly after giving birth.[12]
Assassination attempt
[edit]On June 14, 2025, after shooting and injuring Minnesota state representative John Hoffman alongside his wife Yvette, Vance Boelter allegedly next targeted Bahner at her home. He approached the residence at 2:24 a.m. CDT (UTC−5) dressed as a law enforcement officer and rang the doorbell, but received no response, as she was away on vacation at the time. After several minutes, Boelter left.[13]
Electoral history
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dennis Smith (incumbent) | 13,773 | 55.83 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Kristin Bahner | 10,841 | 43.95 | |
| Write-in | 55 | 0.22 | ||
| Total votes | 24,669 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Kristin Bahner | 12,194 | 52.79 | |||
| Republican | Dennis Smith (incumbent) | 10,873 | 47.07 | |||
| Write-in | 33 | 0.14 | ||||
| Total votes | 23,100 | 100.0 | ||||
| Democratic (DFL) gain from Republican | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Kristin Bahner (incumbent) | 15,337 | 53.65 | |
| Republican | Dori Trossen | 13,232 | 46.29 | |
| Write-in | 16 | 0.06 | ||
| Total votes | 28,585 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic (DFL) hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Kristin Bahner (incumbent) | 12,293 | 55.61 | |
| Republican | John Bristol | 9,802 | 44.34 | |
| Write-in | 11 | 0.05 | ||
| Total votes | 22,106 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic (DFL) hold | ||||
Personal life
[edit]Bahner lives in Maple Grove, Minnesota, with her partner, Brahme.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "Name Pronunciation Guide for House Members 2023". Minnesota Legislature. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Bahner, Kristin - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present". www.lrl.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ "Rep. Kristin Bahner (37B) - Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ "90,000-plus march in St. Paul with message for Trump". Star Tribune. 22 January 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ "Women's March brings thousands to St. Paul". KARE. 21 January 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ "Women's march attendance - Largest U.S. protests in history - The Washington Post". The Washington Post.
- ^ Frostenson, Sarah (January 22, 2017). "The Women's Marches may have been the largest demonstration in US history". Vox. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ Grim, Ryan (October 18, 2018). "Small Donors Suddenly Pour in to Flip Eight State-Level Seats — and Legislatures". The Intercept.
- ^ Van Berkel, Jessie; Coolican, J. Patrick (February 1, 2019). "DFL donors poured millions into Minnesota 2018 election season". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ Montemayor, Stephen (November 27, 2021). "New legislative commission begins work on studying Minnesota's cybersecurity defenses". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ Gringauz, Lev (2021-12-17). "Minnesota has done well protecting state agencies from cybersecurity threats. A new Legislative commission wants to keep it that way". MinnPost. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
- ^ Star Tribune Editorial Board (January 26, 2023). "EDITORIAL | Pass bill to broaden birth control access". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ Thiede, Dana (2025-06-16). "Source: Sen. Ann Rest, Rep. Kristin Bahner were targeted by accused killer". kare11.com. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
- ^ "2016 Results for State Representative District 34B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ "2018 Results for State Representative District 34B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ "2020 Results for State Representative District 34B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Results for State Representative District 37B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 22, 2023.