Senator Erin Maye Quade is the current State Senator for District 56 and a former Minnesota State Representative. Representing Apple Valley, Rosemount, and a small portion of Eagan, she is Vice Chair of the Education Policy, Vice Chair of the State and Local Government Committee, and is a member of the Education Finance Committee and Human Services Committee.
Senator Maye Quade advocates for the critical policies Minnesotans need – from paid family and medical leave and protecting reproductive and LGBTQIA rights to expanding access to affordable childcare and fully funding our public schools. Since taking office in 2023, Senator Maye Quade’s priorities include protecting Minnesotans from unregulated Big Tech and AI, ending childhood hunger, disability justice, literacy education, eliminating gun violence, and supporting working families.
Senator Maye Quade is a change-maker on multiple fronts. When first elected to the House in 2016, she was the only Democrat to flip a State House seat from red to blue. With her election to the State Senate in 2022, she became the first out lesbian, the first Black woman, and the first Black mom ever elected to the body.
In addition to her role as a public servant, Erin Maye Quade is currently the Special Projects Advisor at Gender Justice, a legal non-profit, where she works to advance gender equity through public education, strategic partnerships and coalition-building. She and her wife, Alyse, live in Apple Valley with their daughter, Harriet, and are active members of Grace Lutheran Church.
