Andrea Jenkins will not seek another term on Minneapolis City Council

Minneapolis City Council Member Andrea Jenkins will not run for another term in office, she announced in a newsletter to her constituents on Monday.

“I will not be seeking a fourth term as a Minneapolis City Council Member,” Jenkins wrote. “It has, indeed, been the honor of my life to serve as your Council Member.”

Jenkins, who represents Ward 8, made history in 2017 as the first Black transgender woman in U.S. history to be elected to a city council. She made history again in 2022 when she was elevated to city council president.

Ward 8 includes the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, where George Floyd was murdered on May 25, 2020, a defining moment of Jenkins’ career two-and-a-half-decade in city government.

Jenkins said “reimagining public safety and police reform” and working to “make sure everyone has a safe place to sleep at night” are among her top priorities for the remainder of her term.

With Jenkins stepping away, there are now three open seats up for grabs on the Minneapolis City Council.

Ward 5 Council Member Jeremiah Ellison announced in November he would not seek a fourth term, and in December, Ward 11 City Council Member Emily Koski launched her campaign for Minneapolis mayor.