Coya Knutson
Encyclopedia
Cornelia Genevive Gjesdal "Coya" Knutson (August 22, 1912 – October 10, 1996) was an American politician
from the U.S. state
of Minnesota
. She served two terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives
, from 1951 to 1955, before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 9th congressional district
as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
(DFL). She served two terms there, in the 84th
and 85th Congresses
, (from January 3, 1955 to January 3, 1959).
Knutson was the first woman elected to Congress from Minnesota, and is remembered today for the notorious "Coya, Come Home" letter supposedly written by her then-estranged husband, Andy, urging her to give up her seat and not seek reelection in 1958. Political rivals had put him up to it, and it was seen as instrumental in her ensuing defeat. The incident is often cited as an example of sexism
in American politics.
, Ramsey County
, North Dakota
.
She grew up on the farm where she was born, and inherited her politics from her father, a Populist who belonged to a socialist
organization called the Non-Partisan League
.
After growing up and attending Concordia College
in nearby Moorhead, Minnesota
, Knutson planned on a career in opera
and went to New York City
to attend the Juilliard School
for a year. When she realized she would not make it in opera, she returned to Minnesota, where she married Andy Knutson and moved to his farm near Oklee
.
s, sang at county fair
s and worked with her husband to run a small local hotel, her marriage worsened. Andy Knutson was an alcoholic
and he would often beat his wife when drunk. Nonetheless, the couple adopted
a son, named Terry, in 1940.
Coya began to escape her domestic problems by getting involved in local politics, serving first on the Red Lake County Public Welfare Board in 1948, chairing the county DFL committee
and attending that year's Democratic
presidential convention
as a delegate
. Eventually, the DFL party
asked her to run for the state House
in 1950.
incumbent, Harold Hagen
, but party leaders endorsed another candidate, Curtis Olsson. She had a thick accent
and often sang and played her accordion
at campaign events. DFL leaders at the time were trying to reach out beyond the party's rural base, and this clashed with the more polished image they were trying to cultivate at the time.
Knutson financed her run by selling some land she had inherited from her father, and then barnstormed
across the district, driving into farmers' fields to talk to them personally. She was an effective candidate and overwhelmingly won a five-way primary
in an upset, then repeated the feat that fall in the general election as Democrats nationwide returned to majority status in the United States Congress
.
Speaker of the House
Sam Rayburn
offered her a seat on any committee she wanted as a reward for her surprise success; her choice was the Agriculture Committee, making her its first ever female member.
Governor Adlai Stevenson as their choice for the Democratic Party's
nominee to challenge President Dwight Eisenhower
in that year's presidential election
, because Stevenson had indicated that he was likely to pick Minnesota Senator
Hubert Humphrey
as his running mate
. Knutson, however, was more enthusiastic about Tennessee
Senator Estes Kefauver
, whose farm policies and proposals were more popular in her district. She endorsed him, chaired his campaign in Minnesota, and campaigned vigorously for him. When he defeated Stevenson in Minnesota's primary election
, DFL leaders were furious and swore revenge. Ultimately, Stevenson won the Democratic nomination, but Kefauver was chosen over Humphrey as his running mate. The ticket, however, lost to the Republicans.
to get away from Andy and his drunkenness and battering, and spent much of her time there. While she had little real social life, rumors (perhaps deliberately started) began to circulate that she and her chief of staff Bill Kjeldahl were having an affair
.
Shortly before the 1958 DFL district convention
, a letter signed by Andy (but was not written by him) was circulated to reporters. It soon ran in newspapers across the country with the headline "Coya, Come Home."
"Come back'" he exhorted, "come back to our happy, happy home." While it was anything but, the image of a homebound husband longing for his congresswoman wife struck a chord in a time of rigidly defined gender roles.
Knutson had considered addressing her dysfunctional marriage in public two years earlier, but had been dissuaded by her aides. Now it was coming back to hurt her. Her Republican opponent that fall, Odin Langen, ran on the slogan, "A Big Man for a Man-sized Job."
Still, Knutson only lost by a little over a thousand votes, the only Democratic incumbent to fail to gain reelection to the House that year. She overwhelmingly carried Oklee and much of the northern part of the district, where people knew the truth of her marriage.
's Office of Civil Defense
, where she stayed until 1970. Knutson made one last attempt to regain office in 1977, but lost the primary. Another woman would not be elected to Congress from Minnesota until Betty McCollum
in 2000. In 2006, Amy Klobuchar
became the first Minnesota woman elected to the U.S. Senate
, and Michele Bachmann
the first Republican woman from Minnesota elected to the U.S. House.
, she left her mark as a legislator. No bills
she introduced were passed, but behind the scenes she played a significant role in passing legislation related to the federal Title II student loan
program, school-lunch assistance and cystic fibrosis
research. Many who served or worked in the House at the time recall that she was very effective at lobbying the leadership.
In 1997 some members of the Minnesota legislature wanted to erect a memorial to her at the capitol building
in St. Paul, but could not pass a bill appropriating the money.
In her honor, the Minnesota YMCA Youth in Government program has named its 11th and 12th grade model senate the "Knutson Senate."
Several other prominent Minnesota politicians, including Walter Mondale
, have spoken of her as an inspiration for their own careers.
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
from the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. She served two terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
, from 1951 to 1955, before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Minnesota's 9th congressional district
Minnesota's 9th congressional district
Minnesota's 9th congressional district is a now-obsolete district for representation in the United States House of Representatives.It existed from 1903 to 1963.-List of representatives:-References:*...
as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
(DFL). She served two terms there, in the 84th
84th United States Congress
The Eighty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1955 to January 3, 1957, during the third and...
and 85th Congresses
85th United States Congress
The Eighty-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1957 to January 3, 1959, during the fifth and sixth...
, (from January 3, 1955 to January 3, 1959).
Knutson was the first woman elected to Congress from Minnesota, and is remembered today for the notorious "Coya, Come Home" letter supposedly written by her then-estranged husband, Andy, urging her to give up her seat and not seek reelection in 1958. Political rivals had put him up to it, and it was seen as instrumental in her ensuing defeat. The incident is often cited as an example of sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
in American politics.
Early life
Knutson was born Cornelia Genevive Gjesdahl in EdmoreEdmore, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 256 people, 112 households, and 64 families residing in the city. The population density was 931.4 people per square mile . There were 143 housing units at an average density of 520.3 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 98.05% White, 0.78% Native...
, Ramsey County
Ramsey County, North Dakota
-National protected area:*Lake Alice National Wildlife Refuge *Silver Lake National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 12,066 people, 4,957 households, and 3,187 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
.
She grew up on the farm where she was born, and inherited her politics from her father, a Populist who belonged to a socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
organization called the Non-Partisan League
Non-Partisan League
The Nonpartisan League was a political organization founded in 1915 in the United States by former Socialist Party organizer A. C. Townley. The Nonpartisan League advocated state control of mills, grain elevators, banks and other farm-related industries in order to reduce the power of corporate...
.
After growing up and attending Concordia College
Concordia College, Moorhead
Concordia College is a private liberal arts school located in Moorhead, Minnesota, United States. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and offers bachelors' degrees in the arts and music, as well as a master's degree in education. The college was founded by Norwegian...
in nearby Moorhead, Minnesota
Moorhead, Minnesota
Moorhead is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States, and the largest city in northwest Minnesota. The population was 38,065 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Clay County....
, Knutson planned on a career in opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
and went to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to attend the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
for a year. When she realized she would not make it in opera, she returned to Minnesota, where she married Andy Knutson and moved to his farm near Oklee
Oklee, Minnesota
Oklee is a city in Red Lake County, Minnesota, United States on Minnesota State Highway 222. The population was 435 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-History:...
.
Political career
While she taught music and English at local high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s, sang at county fair
County Fair
"County Fair" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was originally released as the second track on their 1962 album Surfin' Safari. On November 26th of that year, it was released as the B-side to The Beach Boys' third single, "Ten Little...
s and worked with her husband to run a small local hotel, her marriage worsened. Andy Knutson was an alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and he would often beat his wife when drunk. Nonetheless, the couple adopted
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
a son, named Terry, in 1940.
Coya began to escape her domestic problems by getting involved in local politics, serving first on the Red Lake County Public Welfare Board in 1948, chairing the county DFL committee
Committee
A committee is a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly—which when organized so that action on committee requires a vote by all its entitled members, is called the "Committee of the Whole"...
and attending that year's Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
presidential convention
United States presidential nominating convention
A United States presidential nominating convention is a political convention held every four years in the United States by most of the political parties who will be fielding nominees in the upcoming U.S. presidential election...
as a delegate
Delegate
A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization (e.g., a government, a charity, an NGO, or a trade union) at a meeting or conference...
. Eventually, the DFL party
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
asked her to run for the state House
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
in 1950.
Congress
After winning, Knutson began to consider what she could do in federal office to help the struggling farmers of her district. In 1954 many were upset with the agricultural policies of the Dwight Eisenhower administration. She wanted to run against the district's RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
incumbent, Harold Hagen
Harold Hagen
Harold Christian Hagen was a Minnesota politician. He was a Farmer-Laborite and then a Republican, serving the ninth district from 1943 to 1955....
, but party leaders endorsed another candidate, Curtis Olsson. She had a thick accent
Accent (linguistics)
In linguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or nation.An accent may identify the locality in which its speakers reside , the socio-economic status of its speakers, their ethnicity, their caste or social class, their first language In...
and often sang and played her accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
at campaign events. DFL leaders at the time were trying to reach out beyond the party's rural base, and this clashed with the more polished image they were trying to cultivate at the time.
Knutson financed her run by selling some land she had inherited from her father, and then barnstormed
Barnstorming
Barnstorming was a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s in which stunt pilots would perform tricks with airplanes, either individually or in groups called a flying circus. Barnstorming was the first major form of civil aviation in the history of flight...
across the district, driving into farmers' fields to talk to them personally. She was an effective candidate and overwhelmingly won a five-way primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
in an upset, then repeated the feat that fall in the general election as Democrats nationwide returned to majority status in the United States Congress
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
.
Speaker of the House
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
Sam Rayburn
Sam Rayburn
Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn , often called "Mr. Sam," or "Mr. Democrat," was a Democratic lawmaker from Bonham, Texas, who served as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives for seventeen years, the longest tenure in U.S. history.- Background :Rayburn was born in Roane County, Tennessee, and...
offered her a seat on any committee she wanted as a reward for her surprise success; her choice was the Agriculture Committee, making her its first ever female member.
1956 presidential primary
In 1956, as Knutson's first term in Congress drew to a close, DFL leaders back in Minnesota had decided to throw their weight behind former IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
Governor Adlai Stevenson as their choice for the Democratic Party's
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nominee to challenge President Dwight Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
in that year's presidential election
United States presidential election, 1956
The United States presidential election of 1956 saw a popular Dwight D. Eisenhower successfully run for re-election. The 1956 election was a rematch of 1952, as Eisenhower's opponent in 1956 was Democrat Adlai Stevenson, whom Eisenhower had defeated four years earlier.Incumbent President Eisenhower...
, because Stevenson had indicated that he was likely to pick Minnesota Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
as his running mate
Running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
. Knutson, however, was more enthusiastic about Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
Senator Estes Kefauver
Estes Kefauver
Carey Estes Kefauver July 26, 1903 – August 10, 1963) was an American politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S...
, whose farm policies and proposals were more popular in her district. She endorsed him, chaired his campaign in Minnesota, and campaigned vigorously for him. When he defeated Stevenson in Minnesota's primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, DFL leaders were furious and swore revenge. Ultimately, Stevenson won the Democratic nomination, but Kefauver was chosen over Humphrey as his running mate. The ticket, however, lost to the Republicans.
"Coya, Come Home"
They would get their chance in the next election cycle, after she held off Hagen to win reelection. Knutson had moved Terry to Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to get away from Andy and his drunkenness and battering, and spent much of her time there. While she had little real social life, rumors (perhaps deliberately started) began to circulate that she and her chief of staff Bill Kjeldahl were having an affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
.
Shortly before the 1958 DFL district convention
Convention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
, a letter signed by Andy (but was not written by him) was circulated to reporters. It soon ran in newspapers across the country with the headline "Coya, Come Home."
Coya, I want you to tell the people of the 9th District this Sunday that you are through in politics. That you want to go home and make a home for your husband and son. As your husband I compel you to do this. I'm tired of being torn apart from my family. I'm sick and tired of having you run around with other men all the time and not your husband. I love you, honey.
"Come back'" he exhorted, "come back to our happy, happy home." While it was anything but, the image of a homebound husband longing for his congresswoman wife struck a chord in a time of rigidly defined gender roles.
Knutson had considered addressing her dysfunctional marriage in public two years earlier, but had been dissuaded by her aides. Now it was coming back to hurt her. Her Republican opponent that fall, Odin Langen, ran on the slogan, "A Big Man for a Man-sized Job."
Still, Knutson only lost by a little over a thousand votes, the only Democratic incumbent to fail to gain reelection to the House that year. She overwhelmingly carried Oklee and much of the northern part of the district, where people knew the truth of her marriage.
After Congress
Knutson divorced Andy shortly after failing to win re-election, and he died a few years later. She tried to win her seat back in 1960, but lost. Shortly after that year's U.S. Census, the 9th District was eliminated. She went back to Washington and took a job as liaison officer in the United States Department of DefenseUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
's Office of Civil Defense
Office of Civil Defense
The Office of Civil Defense was an agency of the United States Department of Defense from 1961-64. It replaced the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization. The organization was abolished on July 20, 1979, pursuant to Executive Order 12148. It was a predecessor to the Federal Emergency...
, where she stayed until 1970. Knutson made one last attempt to regain office in 1977, but lost the primary. Another woman would not be elected to Congress from Minnesota until Betty McCollum
Betty McCollum
Betty Louise McCollum is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. She is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party ....
in 2000. In 2006, Amy Klobuchar
Amy Klobuchar
Amy Jean Klobuchar is the senior United States Senator from Minnesota. She is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party...
became the first Minnesota woman elected to the U.S. Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, and Michele Bachmann
Michele Bachmann
Michele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...
the first Republican woman from Minnesota elected to the U.S. House.
Legacy
While Knutson is most commonly remembered as a feminist martyrMartyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
, she left her mark as a legislator. No bills
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
she introduced were passed, but behind the scenes she played a significant role in passing legislation related to the federal Title II student loan
Student loan
A student loan is designed to help students pay for university tuition, books, and living expenses. It may differ from other types of loans in that the interest rate may be substantially lower and the repayment schedule may be deferred while the student is still in education...
program, school-lunch assistance and cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...
research. Many who served or worked in the House at the time recall that she was very effective at lobbying the leadership.
In 1997 some members of the Minnesota legislature wanted to erect a memorial to her at the capitol building
Minnesota State Capitol
The Minnesota State Capitol is located in Minnesota's capital city, Saint Paul, and houses the Minnesota Senate, Minnesota House of Representatives, the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Governor...
in St. Paul, but could not pass a bill appropriating the money.
In her honor, the Minnesota YMCA Youth in Government program has named its 11th and 12th grade model senate the "Knutson Senate."
Several other prominent Minnesota politicians, including Walter Mondale
Walter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
, have spoken of her as an inspiration for their own careers.