Transgender candidate to enter Minn. race

Paula Overby
Paula Overby, seen in an Aug. 7, 2013 photo in Eagan, Minn., is running for the congressional seat held by Republican John Kline. Overby, born a man who now identifies as a woman, believes she will be the first openly transgendered person from Minnesota to run for Congress.
AP Photo/Pioneer Press, Scott Takushi

A 59-year-old who was born a man but identifies as a woman plans to run for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District.

Paula Overby believes she will be the first openly transgendered person from Minnesota to run for Congress.

Overby, a quality assurance analyst from Eagan, has never been a candidate or held appointed office.

She will face Thomas Craft, another political newcomer, and Mike Obermueller, who lost a 2012 bid to unseat U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Lakeville. Kline has held the seat for more than a decade.

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Overby acknowledged her gender identity may be a polarizing issue, but she doesn't want it to define her candidacy.

Overby tells the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that she'll focus on reforming what she believes is a broken campaign finance system.

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Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press