Debra J. Hilstrom (born June 21, 1968) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

politician and former 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 ...

. 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 40B, which included portions of the city of

Brooklyn Center Brooklyn Center is a first-ring suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. In 1911, the area became a village formed from parts of Brooklyn Township and Crystal Lake Townshi ...

Hennepin County Hennepin County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,281,565, and was estimated to be 1,273,334 in 2024, making it the List of counties in ...

in the

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. She was a candidate in the 2014 Minnesota Secretary of State election. She ran for Minnesota Attorney General in 2018, but lost the August 14 primary to Congressman Keith Ellison.

Early life, education, and career

Hilstrom graduated from Park Center Senior High School in Brooklyn Park, then went on to the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, earning her

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in sociology in 1990. She graduated from the

William Mitchell College of Law William Mitchell College of Law was a private law school from 1956 to 2015 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA), it offered full- and part-time legal education in pursuit of the Juris Doctor (J. ...

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

in 2010, earning a J.D. She served on the Brooklyn Center Planning Commission and was an advocate for the Brooklyn Center Domestic Abuse Intervention Program. She was a member of the Brooklyn Center City Council from 1995 to 2000.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Hilstrom was first elected in 2000 and was re-elected every two years until she did not seek re-election in 2018. She was chair of the Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee during the 2007–2008 biennium, and served as an assistant minority leader during the 2003–2004 biennium. She served as Deputy Minority Leader during the 2011–2012 legislative session.

2014 Minnesota Secretary of State campaign

Hilstrom announced on June 21, 2013, her candidacy for the 2014 Minnesota Secretary of State election.

References

External links

Rep. Debra Hilstrom
''official Minnesota House of Representatives campaign website''
Project Votesmart - Rep. Debra Hilstrom Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilstrom, Debra 1968 births Living people University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni People from Brooklyn Center, Minnesota Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives American Lutherans Women state legislators in Minnesota 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature