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The White House announced Monday that a Minnesotan will be among first lady Michelle Obama's guests at Tuesday's State of the Union Address. 

Rebekah Erler, of Minneapolis, made her political mark in June 2014 when President Barack Obama met with her over Jucy Lucys at Matt's Bar during 

a trip to Minneapolis just ahead of the mid-term elections

Erler, a 36-year-old accountant and mother of two pre-school-aged boys, found herself on the White House's radar after writing a letter to the president, recounting the story of her family's struggles during the recession. Her husband's construction business had gone under, and since then they'd struggled — but succeeded — in bouncing back.

Obama gets real, meeting the authors behind White House letters


"Rebekah's story is representative of the experiences of millions of resilient Americans: While our economy has made a strong comeback, too many middle class Americans families with two hardworking parents are still stretched too thin," the White House said in a news release.

In Minneapolis, Obama puts focus on middle class worries


The White House updated Erler's story in a 

, highlighting a handful of topics the president is likely to address in his speech:

While the specific content of the State of the Union — scheduled for Tuesday at 8 p.m. Central time — is often a closely held secret, White House watchers say to 

Politics and Government News

MPR News Staff

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Rebekah Erler made her political mark in June 2014 when President Barack Obama met with her over Jucy Lucys at Matt's Bar.

Minneapolis woman to join First Lady during State of the Union

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