Minnesota Lawyer
Greta Bergstrom (staff photo: Peter Bartz-Gallagher)
Greta Bergstrom, an organizer and spokeswoman for the liberal advocacy group TakeAction Minnesota, has joined the growing field of Democratic candidates vying to replace DFL Rep. Michael Paymar in his St. Paul House seat.
Bergstrom said Sunday she will seek the DFL endorsement to run for House District 64B, which covers the Highland Park and Macalester-Groveland neighborhoods of St. Paul. She joins three other candidates in the race: former House staffer Melanie McMahon, St. Paul mayoral aide Matt Freeman and longtime activist Gloria Zaiger. Paymar recently announced he would not seek re-election to the seat.
“I am ready to serve and ensure that the progressive values of our district, which Representative Paymar has carried so ably for the past 18 years, continue to be put into action,” Bergstrom said in a release. “As a lifelong resident of this district, my values have been shaped in, and by, this community. I intend to be a leader at the state Capitol in securing more funding for our schools and local governments, and working for a more equitable tax structure for our state and increased access to health care for all Minnesotans.”
Bergstrom’s campaign will be co-chaired by former Saint Paul City DFL Chair Jim Mogen and Saint Paul City Councilor Amy Brendmoen.
Bergstrom has served as communications director for TakeAction Minnesota for the last five years. The group has proven to be a powerful organizing force in key legislative and city races, and was a force in the campaigns to defeat GOP constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage and require photo identification to vote. Before working with TakeAction, Bergstrom spent three years with Minneapolis-based political advertising firm North Woods Advertising and two years in advertising with Best Buy. She graduated from Macalester College and lives in Highland Park with her husband and two children.
