Andrea Jenkins will not seek reelection to Minneapolis City Council

VP of Minneapolis City Council Andrea Jenkins talks with FOX 9

Andrea Jenkins, the Vice President of the Minneapolis City Council, talked with FOX 9 about the recent decision to declare racism a public health crisis and more.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Andrea Jenkins, the first Black transgender woman to be elected to the Minneapolis City Council, has announced she will not seek reelection for a fourth term.

Andrea Jenkins will not seek reelection

What we know:

In an announcement to the residents of Ward 8, which she represents, Jenkins said that "after several months of introspection and vacillation" she has decided the current term will be her last in office.

"It has, indeed, been the honor of my life to serve as your Council Member," Jenkins wrote, noting that throughout her tenure she served as the council president and vice president "during some of the most challenging times in Minneapolis history."

"I’m grateful for the people who worked to support a strong Ward 8, elevating women, people of color and our LGBTQIA+ community," Jenkins said in the announcement.

First trans woman on Minneapolis City Council

Dig deeper:

In 2017, Jenkins became the first Black transgender woman to be elected to the city council of a major city.

Jenkins was a policy aide to two Minneapolis city council members for 12 years prior.

"I didn’t run my campaign on being a transgender person. I ran a campaign on experience and relationships and the ability to get things done," Jenkins told FOX 9 on election night in 2017. "People responded to it, respected it, and that’s why people elected me."

Representing both the Lyndale and Kingfield neighborhoods in Minneapolis, Jenkins was reelected in a close race in 2023.