By Findlay Drabant
House District 66A (Includes Falcon Heights and Lauderdale)
Fadil Jama (Republican)
Jama, a 33-year-old St. Paul resident, immigrated to the United States as a refugee from Somalia. Today, he is a nurse and a small business owner.
In 2020, Jama founded a home care agency where he provides essential services to elderly and disabled communities.
“I’m running for office because I believe it’s time for new leadership that truly understands the needs of working families and the challenges small business owners face,” he said. As an immigrant, a healthcare professional and a small business owner, Jama said he believes he is uniquely positioned to understand the needs of District 66A.
If elected, Jama’s top priorities include promoting economic growth by supporting small businesses, improving public safety through strengthened community policing and ensuring proper funding and resources for quality education. He also plans on addressing the housing crisis, and aims to ensure that everyone in the district has access to affordable housing.
“Overall, I want to create a more thriving, secure and united community in District 66A,” Jama said.
Leigh Finke (DFL)
Finke, a 43-year-old St. Paul resident, is the incumbent representative of District 66A. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Bethel University in St. Paul and completed her master’s degree in literature at DePaul University in Chicago.
Finke has worked as a journalist, a filmmaker and a multimedia storyteller for the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota. She is also a political activist and organizer.
When Finke was elected in 2022, she became the first openly trans woman in the Minnesota state legislature. During her time as representative, she successfully passed statewide policies to protect LGBTQ individuals, enhance human rights protections for Minnesotans, fund the restoration of the tree canopy in the metro area and expand housing options for residents with disabilities.
“I’m excited to return to the legislature,” Finke said. If reelected, she hopes to see the Equal Rights Amendment passed and moved on to the ballot for 2026. She also aims to end solitary confinement in state prisons, make schools more inclusive for all students and ensure that transgender and queer youth are able to thrive statewide.
House District 66B (Includes portion of Como neighborhood)
Greg Copeland (Republican)
Did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Athena Hollins (DFL)
Hollins, a 41-year-old St. Paul resident, is the incumbent representative of District 66B. She completed her undergraduate degree at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and earned her law degree from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. After graduating, Hollins practiced family law and estate planning.
During her three years as representative, Hollins served on both the public safety and judiciary committees. Last term, she was the vice-chair of the rules committee and the majority whip – the third-highest ranking member of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
“I’m running for re-election because I feel like I still have more to do at the legislature,” Hollins said. Her sights are set on combating climate change, and she has spent the past two and a half years working on an electronics recycling bill in pursuit of that goal.
According to Hollins, the majority of electronics waste ends up incinerated in landfills. She aims to create a universal electronics recycling program to recover the valuable materials like glass, copper and aluminum found in these devices. If the program is successful, she hopes neighboring states, like Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota, eventually turn to Minnesota for their electronics recycling needs.
“I have a vision for Minnesota’s future that we could be a regional hub for electronics recycling,” Hollins said.
Findlay Drabant is a third-year journalism student at the University of Minnesota and an intern for the Bugle. Her hobbies include reading, running, biking, photography and spending time outdoors.