Kenyan-born Huldah Hiltsley Momanyi has made history following her election as Minnesota’s first legislator of Kenyan heritage in the ongoing United States elections.
Huldah Hiltsley, a Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party candidate (DFLer) from Brooklyn Park, defeated Republican Brad Olson, also of Brooklyn Park, in a House District 38A race.
The Kenyan-born politician received 64.78 percent, which was 10,005 total votes, while Olson garnered 34.95 percent of the votes (5,398)
“It doesn’t feel real,” she told CCX News. “I don’t think I was expecting to do that well. 65 [percent], that’s a big margin, right? That just goes to show you the work that my team has put into this race.”
The seat was previously held by DFLer Mike Nelson of Brooklyn Park, who recently retired from political office.
With her election victory, Hiltsley make shistory as the first Kenyan American to hold a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives and will represent Southwestern Brooklyn Park and Osseo.
“That is history in the making,” she was quoted by CCX News. “Not only the first Kenyan American in the Minnesota Legislature, but the first Kenyan-born in the whole entire U.S. to be elected into office.”
Huldah was born in Nyamira County in 1985 to Philip and Tabitha Momanyi. They moved to the US nine years later where they settled in Minesotta.
She attained three Bachelor of Arts’ (B.A) degrees in International Business, Reconciliation Studies and International Relations from Bethel University, Minnesota between 2007 and 2011.
Momanyi also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Global Management from the same University.
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Her career began in 2010 when she was appointed as the Executive Director for Intercultural Programs at Bethel University.
Huldah Hiltsley career
The corporate then worked as the International Programs Coordinator at Hope for the City, a Non-governmental Organization (NGO) located in St Louis, Minnesota in 2011 before returning to Bethel in May 2013 to assume the role of Multicultural Admissions Counselor and Community Relations Associate.
Huldah later joined Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as an applicant Services Program Specialist.
The new Minnesota House representative has also held different roles at Dexcom and Nuvasive before joining
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Previously, she served as the president of Mwanyagetinge, an organization supporting Kenyans in Minnesota, and has received accolades such as the Morrill Hall and Rachel Tilsen Social Justice Award for her commitment to social justice.
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Huldah is also the founder of SaniNaps, an NGO aimed at providing sanitary napkins and school supplies to girls in rural Kenya, addressing critical needs for education and health among young women.
The Minnesota House representative-elect’s political ambition is driven by a desire to represent minority communities and address systemic issues that affect them.
She emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusion within political representation, having recognized a lack of elected leaders from minority backgrounds during her advocacy efforts.
The corporate compliance specialist’s campaign focused on key issues such as safety, equitable housing, and accessible healthcare for families.
In addition, her rise to her current electoral seat kickstarted earlier this year when she won an August primary, narrowly defeating former Brooklyn Park City Council Member Wynfred Russell by a 50-vote margin.
Huldah in 2022 aimed to be the first ever black woman senator in the parliament of Minnesota after she ran to represent District 38 (equivalent of a constituency) in the Minnesota State Senate on a Democratic Party ticket but lost.
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