Kaela Berg (born September 15, 1973) is an American politician serving in 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 ...

since 2021. A member of the

Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party Minnesota ( ) is a 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 south, and Nor ...

(DFL), Berg represents District 55B in the city of Burnsville, in Dakota County.

Early life, education and career

Berg earned an associate degree from

Ricks College Ricks may refer to: People * Andre Ricks (born 1996), American basketball player * Bob Ricks (21st century), American police chief * Christopher Ricks (born 1933), British literary critic and scholar * Desmond Ricks, American football player * ...

(now

Brigham Young University–Idaho Brigham Young University–Idaho (BYU–Idaho or BYUI) is a private college in Rexburg, Idaho. Founded in 1888, the college is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Previously known as Ricks College, ...

). Since 2003, Berg has been a flight attendant for

Endeavor Air Endeavor Air is a regional airline in the United States headquartered at the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, and staffs, operates, and maintains airc ...

. She has also worked as a union organizer and representative. She worked as a union steward for

United Steelworkers The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, commonly known as the United Steelworkers (USW), is a general trade union with members across North America. Headqua ...

and the

Association of Flight Attendants The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (commonly known as AFA) is a union representing flight attendants in the United States. As of January 2018, AFA represents 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines. Since 2004, AFA has been part of the C ...

, and as director of the Minnesota Fair Trade coalition. Berg was a delegate to the

2016 Democratic National Convention The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to 28, 2016. The convention gathered delegates of the Democratic Party, the maj ...

for

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...

, and was critical of

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

, saying, "she has blood on her hands." Berg voted for Clinton after Sanders urged delegates to support Clinton to ensure

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

would be defeated.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Berg was elected to the

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

and was reelected in 2022. She first ran after one-term DFL incumbent

Alice Mann Alice Mann may refer to: * Alice Mann (actress) Alice Mann (October 10, 1899 – March 2, 1986) was an American silent film actress. Biography Mann began her film career in late 1915 with the Lubin Manufacturing Company, appearing in six sho ...

announced she would not seek reelection. In the general election, Berg defeated former Republican state representative Roz Peterson, who represented the district before Mann. In 2020, Berg had her election results challenged, but a judge dismissed the case for failing to state a claim and a lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. Berg is the vice chair of the Labor and Industry Finance and Policy Committee, and sits on the Education Policy and State and Local Government Finance and Policy Committees. She also serves as an assistant majority leader for the DFL House Caucus. Berg is a member of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus and is pro-choice. In February 2022, in response to high gas prices, she joined other DFL legislators advocating for a temporary repeal of the state gas tax.

Electoral history

Personal life

Berg lives in

Burnsville, Minnesota Burnsville ( ) is a city south of downtown Minneapolis in Dakota County, Minnesota. The city is situated on a bluff overlooking the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from its confluence with the Mississippi River. Burnsville and nea ...

, and has two children.

References

External links

Official House of Representatives website

Official campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berg, Kaela 1973 births 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature Brigham Young University–Idaho alumni Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Flight attendants Living people Women state legislators in Minnesota Politicians from Burnsville, Minnesota