Election 2026

Minnesota Senate District 66 candidate guide

Who is running for MN Senate District 66 in the 2026 General Election?

Naomi Krueger

03 Oct 2026 — 7 min read

Photo of MN Capitol by Myotus - Own work, CC BY 4.0 | Photos of Clare Omou Verbeten (left) and Kathleen Bart (right) courtesy of the candidates

Meet the candidates for MN Senate District 66: Clare Omou Vertben and Kathleen Bart.

MN Senate District 66 includes Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, part of Roseville, and part of Saint Paul. View a map of MN Senate District 66 and a list of precincts.

Below is a candidate guide to get to know each candidate with information curated based on campaign websites, publicly available information, and responses to a Roseville Reader candidate questionnaire.

Kathleen Bart

Republican
Campaign website

Kathleen Bart is running for election to the Minnesota Senate to represent District 66. She is the daughter of second-generation Italian immigrants. She was a two-time state tennis champion at Hopkins Lindberg High School, before earning a full ride scholarship to Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. A career ending injury led her to the University of Minnesota where she received a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition Science. She later completed a Registered Nursing degree at Century College. She has lived in Roseville for 35 years where she and her husband raised eight children.

"We noticed in the last decade that we have seen vandalism, car jackings and theft on the rise, our public school’s graduate lower proficiency students and taxes soar. Our once beautiful state of Minnesota has become unsafe and unaffordable," Bart wrote on her campaign website.

Bart's campaign priorities include fraud prevention, lowering taxes, and protecting girls sports.

Questionnaire Responses

Bart did not respond to our invitation to participate in a candidate questionnaire.

Clare Oumou Verbeten

Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Campaign Website

Clare Omou Verbeten is a candidate running for re-election to Minnesota Senate to represent District 66 | *credit: photo courtesy of the candidate*

Clare Omou Verbeten is running for re-election to the Minnesota Senate to represent District 66. She has lived in Saint Paul for the past eight years, but in District 66 nearly all her life. Omou Verbeten is the daughter of Rama and Hans, a Senegalese immigrant and a third generation Dutch American. Her dad was a student at the University of Minnesota when she was born. They lived at the University's student housing Commonwealth Terrace Cooperative (CTC) in Falcon Heights until her parents bought a home in Roseville, where she grew up. Omou Verbeten graduated from Roseville Area High School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from American University in Washington D.C. She now lives in the Como neighborhood of Saint Paul with her husband, son, and labradoodle.

"I made history as one of the first Black women elected to the Minnesota Senate. I am an Assistant Majority Leader, Senate Chair of the Queer Caucus, and Vice Chair of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee. In my first term, I authored 101 bills that were passed and signed into law. I secured $69 million for local projects in my district. I’m DFL and Labor Endorsed," Omou Verbeten said in her questionnaire.

Omou Verbeten's campaign priorities include protecting neighbors from ICE, defending human rights, preventing gun violence, affordability, healthcare for all, universal childcare, free college, and safe and affordable housing, according to her campaign website.

Questionnaire Responses

Why are you running for elected office?

"Everything is too expensive right now—rent, groceries, healthcare, and childcare. Trump and the Republicans scapegoat immigrants and our LGBTQ+ community, but the truth is billionaires are taking from all of us to enrich themselves. Republicans in Congress literally cut healthcare and food assistance to fund billionaire tax breaks. We deserve a fair economy where the billionaires pay their fair share. We deserve healthcare, childcare, housing and access to great public schools. We also deserve to feel safe. Masked federal agents shouldn’t be able to kidnap and kill our neighbors with impunity. We shouldn’t have to fear that our kids will be the next victims of a school shooting. I’m running to protect our neighbors from ICE, prevent gun violence, defend human rights and help Minnesotans afford their lives."

What are some of your legislative priorities for the next legislative session?

"Last session, the Senate DFL passed the ICE Accountability and Justice Package which included a ban on face masks used solely to hide agents’ identities, legal pathways to seek justice for people whose rights were violated, and economic support for small businesses affected by Operation Metro Surge. We also passed a Gun Violence Prevention Package that bans assault weapons, provides stronger tools to intervene in moments of crisis and improves physical safety in schools and communities. I authored a bill to regulate automated license plate readers and protect Minnesotans’ data privacy. These bills were blocked by Republicans in the Minnesota House. We need to elect a DFL majority in the House and Amy Klobuchar as our next Governor to get these bills passed and signed into law. It’s also time to pass the Equal Rights Amendment to guarantee equal rights under Minnesota law for everyone."

How would you work to make life better for ordinary people living in the Roseville area?

"I will fight to pass Senator Marty’s single-payer proposal known as the Minnesota Health Plan which would fully cover the cost of healthcare with no co-pays, deductibles, or other barriers to care. I will fight for free or low cost childcare for all families. No family should spend more than 7% of their income on childcare. As a member of the Higher Education Committee, I was so proud to pass the North Star Promise—Minnesota’s free tuition program for families with a household income below $80,000. I will fight to expand the North Star Promise to guarantee free tuition at any Minnesota public college, university, or Tribal College for all Minnesota residents. I will fight for safe and affordable housing for all by helping first generation homebuyers, strengthening tenant protections and securing resources to transition our unhoused neighbors to permanent housing."

What are your priorities when it comes to public education?

"Minnesotans deserve strong fully funded public schools. For years, education funding hasn’t even kept up with inflation. Though DFLers made major strides in 2023, our schools haven’t fully recovered from the pandemic and the ongoing cuts from the Trump administration. As a member of the Education Finance Committee, I’m working to get more funding for our school districts. We need to fully fund English Language Learner (ELL) and Special Education services. We need to increase wages and benefits to attract the best and brightest educators to our schools. And, we should continue the great work we started with the READ Act to ensure every Minnesota child is reading at or above grade level every year, beginning in kindergarten."

How do you plan to connect with residents in the Roseville area and their local city leaders to represent their unique interests at the state level?

"I love door knocking and I hope to meet as many residents as I possibly can out on the campaign trail. I’m always excited to meet with constituents. Anyone can reach out to connect, ask questions or just get to know me better. As a former city employee, I know how important local government is. I depend on strong relationships with local leaders in our cities and schools to deliver resources to this district. I’ve fought year after year to increase local government aid. As a member of the Education Finance Committee, I’ve worked to increase funding to our school district. I’ve helped pass bonding bills that funded local projects across the district. I will continue to be a fierce advocate for my community at the capitol."

What else do you want voters in the Roseville area to know about you?

"In 2026, I helped pass a historic rule change to allow children on the Minnesota Senate floor for the first time in 168 years. This effort was inspired by a moment earlier this session when I was kicked off the Senate floor while caring for my infant son, Leo. It sparked outrage in a bipartisan group of moms, and we quickly got to work to change this archaic, exclusionary rule. Our institutions must evolve to reflect the realities of working families. We know this rule was a longstanding barrier to public service. Parents, especially mothers, should not be forced to choose between serving their communities and caring for their children. Now, they don’t have to."