Dawn Gillman
Quick Facts
Biography
Dawn Gillman (born October 8, 1973) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, Gillman represents District 17A in central Minnesota, which includes the cities of Hutchinson and Glencoe and parts of McLeod, Meeker, Sibley, and Wright Counties.
Early life, education and career
Gillman attended St. Cloud Technical and Community College, earning a dental R.D.A. and C.D.A. She served six years on the Dassel city council before her election to the state legislature.
Gillman founded "Let Them Play", an organization advocating for reopening youth sports while statewide COVID-19 restrictions were in place. She said, "Our government should not restrict our kids' freedom. It's causing harm to their well-being without factual basis". The group sued the state of Minnesota, saying the measures violated youth athletes' right to equal protection, but a judge rejected the challenge.
Minnesota House of Representatives
Gillman was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2022. She first ran after six-term Republican incumbent Glenn Gruenhagen announced he would run for a seat in the Minnesota Senate.
Gillman serves on the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy, Human Services Finance, and Sustainable Infrastructure Policy Committees.
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Dawn Gillman | 13,431 | 70.25 | |
Democratic (DFL) | Jennifer Carpentier | 5,659 | 29.60 | |
Write-in | 29 | 0.15 | ||
Total votes | 19,119 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold |
Personal life
Gillman lives in Dassel, Minnesota, with her husband, Brian, and has five children.