Rep. Mariani says he won’t seek reelection

A fifth member of the Minnesota House of Representatives in just over a week has announced he won’t seek reelection this year.

Rep. Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul, announced Thursday that he won’t run for his seat in November.

Mariani was first elected in 1990. He currently chairs the House Public Safety & Criminal Justice Reform Finance & Policy Committee.

"Serving in the state legislature for over three decades has been the privilege of my life," Mariani said in a statement. "Representing one of the most racially and economically diverse districts in the state honored me with the expectation to be on the front edge of lawmaking for social justice and policy transformation. As a proud Latino, I sought to bring forward the hopes and dreams of communities of color and Indigenous communities to make state government a meaningful tool to be used to help meet their, and all our needs for a better life."

Mariani noted a lot has changed in the Legislature during his time, and celebrated the fact there is now more diversity after he was the only Latino in the Legislature for eight years. He also celebrated many of the accomplishments during his time, including the Minnesota Prosperity Act, the Achievement and Integration in Minnesota Act, the Learning English for Academic Proficiency Act and the Minnesota Police Accountability Act.

"The state legislative environment I entered three decades ago was a greatly different one than what exists today and while there is appropriate concern over the extreme partisanship we see today, I believe the Capitol is a stronger reflection of the fuller strength of our society and state," Mariani said. "More women inhabit our legislature, more Black, Latino, Asian and Indigenous people serve, and there is more openness of members proudly claiming their GLBTQ identities. The ingredients for governance by and for the people have never been stronger."

He joins the quickly growing list — which includes Rep. Paul Marquart, Rep. Tim Miller, Rep. Jim Davnie and Rep. Rod Hamilton— of legislators who’ve announced they won’t seek reelection this year.

Click here to read his full statement.