Ember Reichgott Junge (born August 22, 1953) is an attorney, radio personality, and former
state senator
A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature.
History
There are typically fewer state senators than there ...
from
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 ...
, representing
New Hope and surrounding communities. A
Democrat, she was elected to the Senate at age 29 and served for 18 years. Junge served as
majority whip from 1991 to 1994, and as
assistant majority leader from 1995 to 2000. She authored the first
charter school
A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...
law in the United States.
Career
In 1998, Junge ran for
Minnesota Attorney General in the DFL primary, losing to
Mike Hatch, who went on to be elected in November. She served as the Minnesota chair of
Joe Lieberman's 2004 presidential campaign. In 2006, she ran for Congress in the
5th Congressional district. In the contest to replace retiring incumbent
Martin Olav Sabo, she placed third in the DFL primary, trailing
Keith Ellison, the endorsed candidate, and former Sabo aide
Mike Erlandson.
Junge is a frequent analyst on local Twin Cities political/public affairs programs, including KSTP-TV's ''At Issue with Tom Hauser'' and ''Almanac'' on Twin Cities Public Television.
Junge also pursues activities outside politics; she has appeared on stage at the
Lakeshore Players Community Theater in
White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
Junge is the Chief Advancement Officer for Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota.
References
External links
Minnesota Public Radio Profile*
Living people
1953 births
Democratic Party Minnesota state senators
People from New Hope, Minnesota
Women state legislators in Minnesota
American women lawyers
Place of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American women politicians
21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature
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