Ben Bakeberg, first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2022, announced last week his candidacy for the Senate District 54 seat.
Bakeberg is the only school administrator serving in a state government position and is the current co-vice chair of the Education Finance Committee.
“From my years as an educator to my time as a current lawmaker, my mission has been simple — serve people,” Bakeberg said. “That means listening to the priorities, learning what works, and leading to deliver results for Minnesota families. We’ve taken important steps to restore balance to budgets, address workplace priorities and crack down on waste and fraud, but we’re just getting started. In the Minnesota Senate, I’ll continue to champion common-sense solutions that build strong families, strong communities and strong schools.”
Bakeberg, his wife and three children live in Jordan. He has been a middle school principal with Jordan Public Schools since 2016. He has spent his 24-year professional career in public and private education with experience as a custodian, paraprofessional, teacher, coach, assistant principal and building principal. He was recently given the honor of the Legislator of Distinction Award from the Minnesota School Boards Association for his education work on funding flexibility, mandate relief and local control.
“I’m ready to keep fighting for Minnesotans with a servant’s heart and a focus on results,” Bakeberg said. “That means real investments in our kids’ education, making life more affordable for families, and putting an end to the theft of taxpayer dollars. I’ll keep working side-by-side with the people who make our state strong — families, small business owners, workers, educators, healthcare heroes and seniors — because they’re the ones who feel the impact of every decision made at the Capitol,” Bakeberg said.
The Senate District 54 seat has been held since 2012 by Eric Pratt, Prior Lake. Pratt announced last month his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Congress in Minnesota’s second district following Angie Craig’s decision to run for the U.S. Senate.
