Jess Hanson, Minnesota House 55A: Provide pathway to good jobs

By Steve Share, Minneapolis Labor Review editor

BURNSVILLE — “I believe that economic opportunities should be abundant, education should be equitable, and government should be responsible,” says Jess Hanson. She advocates for a “politics of care,” saying, “I don’t participate in the hyper-partisanship.”

Hanson is running for re-election for House District 55A, which includes the city of Savage and three precincts in northwest Burnsville.

Hanson is endorsed by the Minnesota AFL-CIO and the DFL Party.

Over Hanson’s two terms in the House, she has earned a 100 percent lifetime voting score from the Minnesota AFL-CIO on working families issues — “that stuff is a no-brainer,” Hanson says.

A single mom, Hanson says she has worked full-time since she was 16 years old. She notes that seven out of ten Minnesota millennials like herself live paycheck to paycheck.

She’s spoken of creating a “millennial agenda” to address the needs of her generation. “We’re all just so focused on trying to survive,” she says. “We’re next up to lead and we’ve got no guardrails.”

Again this year, Hanson’s race will be one of the key races to maintain a pro-labor majority in the Minnesota House. In 2020, she won by just 800 votes. In 2022, she won by 1,119 votes.

Hanson says, “our state’s economic recovery is built on the backs of working families, but too many Minnesotans are being left behind as the corporations, the wealthy, and the well-connected get richer. I value providing Minnesotans with pathways to good-paying jobs, supporting their small business ventures, and improving safety in the workplace.”

And when it comes to increasing opportunity through education, she maintains, “we have the funds to fully-fund it — it’s a matter of political will.”

Website:
jesshansonforhouse.com