| Lelia Afewerek | |
|---|---|
| |
| United States Senator from Minnesota | |
| Assumed office November 2014 Serving with Amy Klochubar | |
| Preceded by | Norm Coleman |
| 28th Attorney General of Minnesota | |
| In office November 2006 – June 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Hatch |
| Succeeded by | Lori Swanson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 2, 1978 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Jilleen |
| Religion | Orthodox Christianity |
Senator Lelia Afewerek is the junior Senator from Minnesota and a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 2016. Afewerek is the first openly homosexual Senator as well as the first Ethiopian-American one, and is often listed among the most liberal members of the Senate. Afewerek is chiefly notable for her disruptive far-left politics in the Senate, as well as for being arrested for smoking marijuana in the Senate chamber during a filibuster of a budget bill.