From an OBGYN to elected office, Kelly Morrison ‘87 announced her congressional campaign on Nov. 9.
Morrison first ran for office after the 2016 presidential election. “I felt like I just had to get off the sidelines and get more involved,” Morrison said. “I was really concerned about the state of our country and civil discourse, about democracy, and of course about access to reproductive healthcare and reproductive rights.” Now, she is running for the House of Representatives, a seat currently held by Dean Philips ‘87 after serving one of the Minnesota State Senate’s Assistant Majroity Leaders for one term.
For this election, her goals remain similar to those in 2016. “One of my goals all along and continues to be [is] to try and be a bridge builder. To try and find ways to bring people together, to turn down the volume a little bit, and to see each other’s humanity,” said Morrison. “It’s also imperative that we protect democracy, the democratic process, and people’s freedom and bodily autonomy.”
Morrison plans on continuing to build connections with the people around her. “I think [it] is really important for elected officials to spend a lot more time listening than talking,” she said.
Morrison currently serves District 45 in the Minnesota State Senate which includes cities like Mound, Wayzata, and Orono, and part of Minnetonka. She recognizes that running for State Senate and running for House of Representatives pose different challenges. “People in the senate district I represent now know me pretty well but there’s a lot of areas in [District 3] that I have to introduce myself to,” she said. “There will be a lot of time and effort spent on doing just that and spent on listening to people, hearing what’s on their mind, what they’re concerned about, and what their priorities are.” Congressional District 3 includes the cities in District 45 as well as cities such as Plymouth, Maple Grove, Edina, Bloomington, and Hopkins.
From her time in the State Senate, three bills stick out most to Morrison as work she is proud of. The common theme in all three is her ability to find Republicans to partner with. The first bill is the extension of medical assistance to 12 months postpartum. “We used to kick those new moms off of health insurance two months after they had a baby. With racial disparities that we have in maternal morbidity and mortality, with our substance use disorder crisis, and [with] our mental health crisis, it’s imperative that new moms and their families have access to the care they need,” Morrison said. The second bill is called the Alec Smith Emergency Insulin Act. “There was a man named Alec Smith who died when he was 26 years old in Minnesota because he couldn’t afford his insulin, so he started to ration. So the idea behind this law is to kind of prevent that from happening to anyone in Minnesota,” Morrison said. The third bill is a Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT), which Morrison explained as “an interstate compact which allows psychologists to practice across state lines as a way to expand access to mental health care…Again, I found a Republican to work with in the senate, and we got that bill passed, and that has helped to expand access to mental health practitioners,” Morrison said. She also passed protections for both the LGBTQ community and reproductive healthcare. “We helped make Minnesota a more welcoming place, and I’m really proud of that legacy,” she said.
As for her message to young voters, “Please get involved, please consider running for office yourself,” Morrison said. “You’re going to make our future, your voices do matter, and you can make a difference right now in what policies are passed in our government, at the local, state, and national [level].”
