Samantha Sencer-Mura | |
---|---|
Member of the
Minnesota House of Representatives from the 63A district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Jim Davnie |
Personal details | |
Born | February 2, 1989 |
Political party | Democratic (DFL) |
Spouse | Lance |
Children | 1 |
Parent | David Mura |
Residence | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
Education |
Occidental College (
BA) Harvard University ( MEd) |
Occupation | Legislator |
Website | Government website Campaign website |
Samantha Sencer-Mura (born February 2, 1989) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), Sencer-Mura represents District 63A in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes parts of Minneapolis in Hennepin County. [1] [2]
A fourth-generation Japanese-American, Sencer-Mura was raised in Minneapolis and attended South High School. Her father is David Mura, a poet and playwright. Her grandparents were incarcerated in internment camps during World War II. [1] [3]
Sencer-Mura earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in social justice and critical theory from Occidental College and a Master of Education in school leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. [1] [4]
Sencer-Mura began her career as a teacher at Citizen Schools in New York City. She later worked as a coordinator at Safe Passages and community schools director of United for Success Academy in Oakland, California. In 2017, Sencer-Mura returned to Minneapolis to join 826 MSP, a nonprofit after-school program, as executive director. [3]
Sencer-Mura was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2022. She first ran for an open seat created by legislative redistricting and the retirement of 11-term DFL incumbent Jim Davnie. [1] [3] She is the first Japanese-American elected to the state legislature. [5]
Sencer-Mura serves on the Agriculture Finance and Policy, Education Finance, Workforce Development Finance and Policy, and Transportation Finance and Policy Committees. [1] She is a member of the House People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus and the Minnesota Asian and Pacific (MAP) Caucus. [6]
During the 2023 session, Sencer-Mura sponsored anti-hate crime legislation that would provide money to better track bias crimes and fund law enforcement trainings, citing anti-Asian backlash related to COVID-19's origins and saying "our communities are living in this state of red alert". [6]
Sencer-Mura wrote a bill that would require Minnesota high schools offer an ethnic studies course, saying, "students of all racial and ethnic identities benefit from ethnic studies". [7] [8] [9] She sponsored a transit safety bill after an 87-year-old woman in her district was injured while using public transit. [10]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (DFL) | Samantha Sencer-Mura | 19,398 | 90.16 | |
Republican | Kyle Bragg | 2,087 | 9.70 | |
Write-in | 31 | 0.14 | ||
Total votes | 21,516 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic (DFL) hold |
Sencer-Mura lives in Minneapolis with her spouse, Lance, and has one child. [1]