Karla Bigham

Karla Bigham (/ˈbɪɡəm/ BIG-əm; born March 9, 1979) is an American politician and member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 54. She is also a former Washington County Commissioner and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. She is a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL).

Karla Bigham
Member of the Minnesota Senate
from the 54th district
In office
February 20, 2018 – January 3, 2023
Preceded byDan Schoen
Succeeded byEric Pratt
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 57A district
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byKatie Sieben
Succeeded byJohn Kriesel
Personal details
Born (1979-03-09) March 9, 1979
Newport, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyMinnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
SpouseJohn Stechmann
ResidenceCottage Grove, Minnesota
Alma materWinona State University
University of Minnesota
Occupationparalegal, union organizer

Early life, education, and career

Bigham graduated from Park High School in Cottage Grove in 1997. She then went on to Winona State University in Winona, earning a B.S. in paralegal with a sociology and political science minor. She was a member of Delta Phi Epsilon sorority. She has worked as a union organizer and is currently a paralegal in the Child Protection Division of the Hennepin County Attorney's Office in Minneapolis. She was a member of the Cottage Grove City Council from 2005 to 2007 and also served as chair of the Cottage Grove Public Safety, Health and Welfare Commission.[1][2] She has worked as a public affairs coordinator for Northern Tier Energy.

Minnesota House of Representatives

Bigham was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2006, where she represented District 57A, which included portions of Dakota and Washington counties in the southeastern Twin Cities metropolitan area. She was re-elected in 2008.[3] Bigham did not seek re-election to a third term in 2010.[4]

During her tenure, Bigham served as vice chair of the House Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee. She also served on the House Environment Policy and Oversight Committee and the Finance subcommittees for the Public Safety Finance Division and the State Government Finance Division.[5]

Minnesota Senate

After Dan Schoen resigned from the Minnesota Senate following allegations of sexual harassment, Bigham announced her intention to run in the special election for the seat.[6] She faced former Republican State Representative Denny McNamara and Libertarian candidate Emily Mellingen. Bigham won the special election.

Senator Bigham won re-election in the 2020 general election, receiving 52.85% of the vote.[7]

For the 2021-2022 Legislative Session, Senator Bigham serves on the following committees:[8]

  • Ranking Minority Member on the Civil Law and Data Practices Policy
  • Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy
  • Local Government Policy

Personal life

Karla Bigham is married to John Stechmann and they reside in Cottage Grove, Minnesota.[9]

References
  1. "Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Legislator Record - Bigham, Karla". Leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  2. "Project Vote Smart - Representative Karla Bigham - Biography". Votesmart.org. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  3. "Bigham, Karla - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present". www.leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  4. "Session Weekly - Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  5. "Karla Bigham (DFL) 57A - Minnesota House of Representatives". House.leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
  6. "Democrat announces bid for Sen. Dan Schoen's seat, GOPer considers run". Twin Cities. 2017-11-22. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  7. "Index - Election Results".
  8. "MN State Senate".
  9. "Bigham Announces Bid for State Senate" (PDF) (Press release). Karla Bigham for State Senate. November 22, 2017.
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