Hi, I’m Aisha Gomez. I’m running to be your state representative for District 62B.
For seven years, we’ve been lucky to have a champion, in Representative Susan Allen, who deeply cares about the needs of the people in district 62B. Given the times we are in, it is imperative that we keep fighting to grow and strengthen Susan’s progressive legacy at the Capitol.
My name is Aisha Gomez. I have spent the last four years working at Minneapolis City Hall, fighting for the people of the Ninth Ward. Today, I am honored to announce my candidacy for the Minnesota House of Representatives. I am excited to continue to work hard to fight for affordable housing, safe streets and quality education for our children.
I never thought I would run for office. Growing up on the Southside, as a mixed-heritage woman attending South High School, my elected officials were never people who reflected the struggles of my family or friends. I am running not just to bring my voice to the capitol, but to welcome ALL of the people in our district to join me at the table there.
Over the past four years, I have been working inside City Hall fighting for the people of the Ninth Ward. My experience as a Senior Policy Aide with Council Member Alondra Cano and more than a decade of environmental justice advocacy work with State Representative Karen Clark have given me the tools to turn the demands of our communities into concrete policy solutions. I am honored to have worked with so many of you to pass a $15 per hour minimum wage ordinance, paid sick and safe time for Minneapolis workers, recognizing Indigenous People’s Day, and helping to usher in a 20-year funding plan for our parks and streets.
The people in this district have real needs. Affordable housing, safe streets, quality education for our children. Life or death issues, that most people at the capitol don’t really understand, but impact so many people in our state. Those people are my people. That’s why I’m running.
I understand, because I have lived through struggle. I’ve had friends and family impacted by mass incarceration, poverty and the opioid crisis. I’ve watched my five year old son grow quickly, in a world where boys like him don’t have an equal chance at success. And that isn’t acceptable.
We cannot settle for a government that refuses to stretch beyond the status quo. Our people deserve better. Every child born in 62B should grow up in a world that they know supports them, loves them and thinks that they are our greatest resource. We need committed, long-term investments in early-childhood education. We need to fight to make college more accessible for all students in our state.
Minnesota should also be a leader on clean energy and environmental justice. Both in the city, where children are more likely to have asthma and polluted neighborhoods, and across our state. Indigenous people in our state need to be heard when it comes to pipelines or mining on their lands. Especially in an era where federal environmental protections are being decimated for corporate profits.
I am excited to bring the energy of talented Minneapolis activists, and the love and power of our community to the halls of the Capitol.
In community,
