Black Trans Woman Andrea Jenkins Reelected to Minneapolis City Council

Black transgender woman Andrea Jenkins has been elected to her third term on the Minneapolis City Council.

Jenkins emerged the victor in a close race against challenger Soren Stevenson, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. She was 38 votes ahead of Stevenson when the count was completed Wednesday in the city’s ranked-choice voting system. It’s close enough that Stevenson could request a recount, but he hasn’t made a decision on that.

In 2017, Jenkins became the first out trans person elected to a major city’s governing body and one of the first trans people of color elected to any office in the U.S. She represents the city’s Eighth Ward and has been council president for the past two years, the first out trans person in such a post anywhere in the nation.

Stevenson, a white man, had contended that Jenkins was insufficiently progressive. He “ran on a platform of increasing police accountability, promoting affordable housing and addressing climate change,” Minneapolis Public Radio reports. He had lost his left eye when it was hit by a police projectile during a 2020 protest over the police killing of George Floyd.

Jenkins thanked Stevenson and other challengers for “running a tough campaign,” MPR reports. “I appreciate the ideas that have been shared throughout the course of the campaign, and I hope we can work together to find common ground on the policies that we have agreement on,” she added.

She noted that during her time on the council, the city has declared both racism and climate change to be emergencies, established paid family leave for municipal employees, and taken steps to protect renters.

During the campaign, Jenkins had told TV station WCCO she didn't understand how she could be called too moderate. "I have over 30 years of progressive politics. I've served on every progressive LGBT board in the city of Minneapolis," she said. "I'm a member of the national HRC board, the Human Rights Campaign."

She had the endorsement of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. Its president and CEO, Annise Parker, released this statement: “Andrea Jenkins is a trailblazer who leads with empathy and experience — that’s why voters trusted her with another term on the Minneapolis City Council, where she’ll continue to make progress for the LGBTQ+ community. Running for office as an out transgender Black woman isn’t easy. and Andrea didn’t take any voter for granted. As we celebrate LGBTQ+ victories across the country, Andrea’s win stands out as one that makes us especially proud.”

She was also endorsed by LPAC. “We are delighted that Ward 8 voters came out in full force to support Council President Andrea Jenkins today,” said a statement from its executive director, Lisa Turner. “She is a trailblazer for our movement and a dedicated advocate for her community. We look forward to the important work she will continue to spearhead in her third term serving in City Hall.”