Barbara J. Goodwin (born January 25, 1949) is a

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

politician and former member of the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Minnesota Legislature, Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any State legislature (Unite ...

. A member of the

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is a political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota affiliated with the national Democratic Party. The party was formed by a merger between the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Minneso ...

(DFL), she represented District 41, which included portions of Anoka, Hennepin, and Ramsey counties in the northern

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

metropolitan area.

Early life, education, and career

Goodwin attended North Hennepin Community College in

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota Brooklyn Park is a suburban city on the west bank of the Mississippi River, upstream from (north of) the Twin Cities in northern Hennepin County. It is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 86,478 at the ...

, then went on to

Hamline University Hamline University ( ) is a private university in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1854, Hamline is the oldest university in Minnesota, the first coeducational university in the state, and is one of five Associated Colleges of th ...

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

, receiving her B.A. with numerous honors in Sociology and Political Science. Goodwin served on the Columbia Heights School Board from November 2009 until becoming a member of the Senate, and has also served as an adjunct professor at the Hamline University Graduate School of Business in Saint Paul from 2008 until 2010, teaching legislative practice and government contracting.

Minnesota Legislature

On June 1, 2010, Goodwin filed as a DFL candidate for the

representing District 50. The district includes the cities of Arden Hills, Columbia Heights, Fridley, Hilltop, New Brighton, Shoreview and St. Anthony and is divided between Anoka and Ramsey Counties. On June 28, 2010, the district committee voted to revoke the endorsement from embattled incumbent Senator Satveer Chaudhary and grant it to her. She defeated Chaudhary in the August 10, 2010, DFL Primary, garnering 70% of the vote to Chaudhary's 30%. She subsequently won the November 2, 2010, General Election, garnering 52% to Republican Gina Bauman's 41% and Independent Rae Hart Anderson's 6%. Goodwin retired in January 2017. Goodwin was re-elected to District 41 in 2012, receiving 62.82% of the vote and defeating Republican candidate Gina Bauman. Goodwin previously served as a member of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...

from 2001 to 2007. While in the House and Senate she specialized in state budget issues, consumer protections, homeowner construction and repair protections, jobs, education, health care and business and labor issues. She also supported expanded transit options. Her special legislative concerns in the House and Senate included jobs, budget, child, adult, and worker protections and rights, anti-bullying, judicial reforms, and physical and mental healthcare. While in the Senate, she served as Vice Chair of Judiciary Committee. Prior to running for election, Goodwin was Director of Legislative Central Staff and a Research Analyst in the MN House DFL for 10 years. In the 4 years between serving in the House and Senate, Goodwin was an adjunct instructor at Hamline Graduate School where she taught Legislative Practice and Government Contracting. She also served on the Columbia Heights School Board. Goodwin did not seek re-election to the MN Senate in 2016 and retired in Jan. 2017. She and Bill currently live in Minneapolis and AZ.

Personal

Goodwin lived in Columbia Heights from 1991 - 2020. She was born in NE Mpls. She has two adult children. Her son, Anthony David Goodwin is married to Katie Lucas. Her daughter is Heather Jo Bronder. She also has a grandson Liam David Bronder. Former spouse was David Goodwin married from 1970 to 2014. She married Bill Heaney, formerly of Duluth, in 2018.

References

External links

Project Votesmart Profile: Senator Barb Goodwin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goodwin, Barb Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Women state legislators in Minnesota Living people 1949 births 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature