Position Sought
Minnesota State Senate, District 66
Current Position
Minnesota State Senate, District 66
Party Affiliation
Democrat
Location
Minnesota
Date of Primary Election
August 11, 2026
Primary Election Donation Limit
$1000
Date of General Election
November 3, 2026
General Election Donation Limit
$1000
Race/Ethnicity
Black/African-American/Afro-Caribbean
Gender Identity
Cisgender Woman
Sexual Orientation
Pansexual
Pronouns
She/Her/Hers
Connect with Clare Oumou Verbeten
Clare was one of the first Black women and out LGBTQ women ever elected to the Minnesota State Senate!
Biography
Clare Oumou Verbeten represents District 66 (Saint Paul, Roseville, Falcon Heights, and Lauderdale) in the Minnesota Senate and serves as Assistant Majority Leader. She ran for office to advance racial justice and build a community that is safe for all. In 2022, Clare made history by becoming one of the first Black Queer women elected to the Minnesota Senate. As the Vice Chair of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, Clare is leading the charge to transform Minnesota’s criminal justice system.
Before being elected, Clare led the City of Saint Paul’s racial equity policies and programs as their Equity Manager. She has an extensive background in electoral politics and organizing, previously serving as a senior director for the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters, and the Walz Flanagan gubernatorial campaign.
Clare was born and raised in Roseville, Minnesota. She is the proud daughter of Rama and Hans Verbeten, a Senegalese immigrant and second-generation Dutch American. Clare lives in the Como neighborhood in Saint Paul with her husband, Garrison, their son, Leo, and their Goldendoodle, Honey.