Minnesota reelects Leigh Finke, the trans lawmaker who helped protect gender-affirming care

State Rep. Leigh Finke, Minnesota’s first out transgender legislator and a leading advocate for protections for transgender patients, has won reelection to the Minnesota House.

Finke, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, defeated Republican Mark Born to secure a third term representing District 66A, which includes parts of St. Paul and nearby communities. Decision Desk HQ called the race at 2:19 a.m. Wednesday, with more than 95 percent of votes counted. She received more than 85 percent of the vote.

Finke’s victory returns to the Legislature a lawmaker who helped turn Minnesota into a refuge for transgender people seeking gender-affirming care and who has become an outspoken critic of the Trump administration’s treatment of marginalized communities.

Finke made history in 2022, winning her first election with approximately 81 percent of the vote in the heavily Democratic district. Before entering office, she worked in journalism, documentary filmmaking and multimedia storytelling. She is a mother of two.

Related: Trans and nonbinary candidates win in Minnesota and Montana

During her first term, Finke authored Minnesota’s “trans refuge” legislation, which Gov. Tim Walz signed in April 2023. The measure protected people seeking or providing gender-affirming care in Minnesota as other states moved to restrict access.

As The Advocate reported during the bill’s passage, the legislation sought to prevent Minnesota courts and officials from helping enforce out-of-state actions targeting that care, including certain child removal requests, arrests, and subpoenas. Finke argued that protections needed to be written into law, building on an executive order Walz had already issued.

Her advocacy has also extended beyond health care. In January, after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, Finke told The Advocate that the federal immigration crackdown had endangered communities and called for solidarity among immigrants, transgender people and other LGBTQ+ residents.

“We all need to remember that we are in this together,” she said.

Related: Minnesota hopes to become refuge for trans minors seeking health care

Finke has also taken a leading role in the push for a state Equal Rights Amendment. She became the proposal’s House author during the 2025-26 legislative session, seeking to place stronger equality protections in Minnesota’s Constitution. In an October candidate questionnaire, she identified the amendment as unfinished work she wanted to carry forward.