Kate Knuth

On November 7, 2006, Knuth won the seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives vacated by the retiring Char Samuelson.[3] She was one of the youngest representatives to serve in the 85th Legislature. At the Minnesota State Capitol, Knuth focused mainly on climate change and toxic chemical policy reform, issues in the Minnesota Department of Commerce, and the state budget. While in the legislature, Knuth enrolled in a Ph.D. program in conservation sciences at the University of Minnesota.[2]

After redistricting in 2012, Knuth was drawn into the same legislative district as her Democratic–Farmer–Labor colleague Representative Tom Tillberry. She did not seek reelection in 2012.[4]

After her stint in the legislature, Knuth returned to work as the Director for the Boreas Leadership Program at the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment.[4]

On June 19, 2017, the City of Minneapolis hired Knuth as chief resilience officer, a new position that coordinated the city's work on urban challenges from housing affordability to climate change.[5] In February 2018, one month after Mayor Jacob Frey was sworn in and seven months into her new role, Knuth resigned, saying that she and Frey did not have the same vision for Minneapolis.[6] She had been conducting interviews and surveys and passed her research off to her successor.[7]

On March 2, 2021, Knuth announced her campaign for mayor of Minneapolis in the city's 2021 election as a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party.[1] She said she decided to run because of what she called Frey's lack of leadership and the absence of other candidates who could assemble a broad coalition to help move the city forward.[6] She received 38% of the vote and Frey was reelected.