Liish Kozlowski

Liish Kozlowski
Ozaawaa Anakwad (Ojibwe)
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 8B district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byJennifer Schultz
Personal details
Born (1988-01-12) January 12, 1988
Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Children1
EducationUniversity of Minnesota Duluth (BA)
College of St. Scholastica (MBA)
Occupation
WebsiteGovernment website Campaign website

Liish Kozlowski (/liʃ kəzˈlaʊski/;[1] Ojibwe: Ozaawaa Anakwad; born January 12, 1988) is an American politician serving as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), Kozlowski represents District 8B in northeastern Minnesota, which includes the city of Duluth and parts of St. Louis County. They are the first openly trans-nonbinary state legislator in Minnesota.[2][3]

Early life, education and career

Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Kozlowski is the child of a Mexican union electrician father and a Grand Portage/Fond du Lac Band Ojibwe mother.[2][4] They were raised by their grandmother and adopted in adulthood by a native family.[5] Their adoptive father, Ray "Skip" Sandman, was an Anishinaabe spiritual leader and ran twice for Minnesota's 8th Congressional District.[6][5]

Kozlowski is a first-generation college graduate, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2009 and a Master of Business Administration from the College of St. Scholastica in 2017.[2][7][4]

From 2019 to 2021, Kozlowski worked as a community relations officer for the City of Duluth under Mayor Emily Larson, where they helped create a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit People Reward Fund, the first in Minnesota.[2][8][9]

Minnesota House of Representatives

Kozlowski was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in November 2022. They first ran after four-term DFL incumbent Jennifer Schultz announced they would not seek reelection and would run for the 8th Congressional District.[2] Kozlowski defeated Duluth City Council president Arik Forsman in the DFL primary.[10] When they took office, Kozlowski became the first openly trans non-binary member of the Minnesota Legislature and the second two-spirit member after Susan Allen, in addition to the first Mexican, Ojibwe, and trans non-binary or two-spirit person to represent Duluth.[11][12]

Kozlowski serves on the Capital Investment and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committees and is co-vice chair of the Housing Finance and Policy and Labor and Industry Finance and Policy Committees.[2] They co-chair the House People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus and are a member of the legislature's first Queer Caucus, made up of LGBTQ+ members.[13]

Kozlowski was highlighted as part of Minnesota Public Radio's 2023 "Changemakers" series, which showcases Minnesotans from diverse backgrounds making an impact in the state.[5]

Political positions

Kozlowski campaigned on increasing support for working families through universal childcare and fully-funded education, protecting the environment through "prove it first" mining permit legislation, and affordable healthcare for all.[4]

Kozlowski is pro-choice and supports increasing abortion access for people of color, gender-expansive people, and immigrants.[14] They have spoken out in favor of legislation making Minnesota a "trans refuge state" for those seeking gender-affirming care and have pushed for creating inclusive schools and increasing housing access for disadvantaged communities.[15] Kozlowski authored a law adding gender-neutral bathrooms in Minnesota schools in 2023.[5] They also authored a bill to ban nonessential cosmetic procedures on intersex children under 12, which did not make it to a vote.[16]

Kozlowski championed efforts to increase funding for the state's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office. Native American women, girls, and Two Spirit relatives are only 1% of Minnesota's population but made up 8% of all murdered women, girls, and Two Spirit people from 2010 through 2018.[17]

Electoral results

2022 Minnesota State House - District 8B[18]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Liish Kozlowski 14,593 70.95
Republican Becky Hall 5,929 28.83
Write-in 45 0.22
Total votes 20,567 100.00
Democratic (DFL) hold
2024 Minnesota State House - District 8B[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Liish Kozlowski 17,440 68.53
Republican Shawn Savela 7,954 31.25
Write-in 55 0.22
Total votes 25,449 100.00
Democratic (DFL) hold

Personal life

Kozlowski lives in Duluth, Minnesota.[2] Their Ojibwe name is Ozaawaa Anakwad ("Yellow Cloud") and they identify as trans, non-binary, and two-spirit.[2][5]

References

  1. ↑ Minnesota House District 8B Forum. PBS North. October 29, 2022. Event occurs at 00:11. Retrieved August 23, 2024 – via YouTube.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Kozlowski, Liish - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present". www.lrl.mn.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  3. ↑ "Rep. Liish Kozlowski (08B) - Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.mn.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
  4. 1 2 3 Hollingsworth, Jana; Lawler, Christa (August 5, 2022). "Voter's guide for Duluth and St. Louis County primary races". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Ki, Nicole (2023-06-21). "ChangeMakers: For two-spirit legislator Alicia Kozlowski, community is everything". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  6. ↑ Hollingsworth, Jana (November 3, 2022). "Skip Sandman, an Anishinaabe spiritual healer, dies at 68". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  7. ↑ "Minnesota's first trans nonbinary elected state representative wins in Duluth". Bemidji Pioneer. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  8. ↑ Galioto, Katie (June 19, 2020). "Duluth pushes to remove 'chief' from job titles, calling it offensive to Indigenous people". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  9. ↑ Lawler, Christa (January 25, 2022). "Duluth creates reward fund to help solve crimes against Indigenous women". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  10. ↑ Lawler, Christa (10 August 2022). "First-timer Alicia Kozlowski will face Becky Hall in House District 8B race". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  11. ↑ Asher, Abe (2022-11-23). "Alicia Kozlowski elected Minnesota's first trans non-binary legislator". Sahan Journal. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  12. ↑ Lawler, Christa (November 9, 2022). "Zeleznikar poised to oust longtime Rep. Mary Murphy in Minnesota House District 3B". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  13. ↑ Stroozas, Sam (2023-01-17). "'Shaking things up': Minnesota's LGBTQ lawmakers see new strength at Capitol". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  14. ↑ The Associated Press (2022-12-27). "What Minnesota's most diverse Legislature means for policy". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  15. ↑ Moini, Nina (2023-04-21). "This family moved to Minnesota to access gender-affirming care. More might soon". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  16. ↑ Forgrave, Reid (June 21, 2024). "Yes, intersex people exist. A Twin Cities advocate is fighting for their rights". Minnesota Star Tribune. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  17. ↑ Bierschbach, Briana (15 February 2023). "Leaders push for more funding to find missing and murdered Indigenous Minnesotans". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  18. ↑ "2022 Results for State Representative District 8B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
  19. ↑ "2024 Results for State Representative District 8B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
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