Ryan Winkler, a former DFL lawmaker and majority leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives, has announced a bid to return to the legislature. Should he win his bid for an open Golden Valley House seat, Winkler will begin his third stint in the House.
A lawyer by trade, Winkler was first elected to the House in 2006 representing portions of Golden Valley, St. Louis Park, and Plymouth. He served in the House until 2015 when he resigned to move to Belgium with his wife who had taken a job there.
A few years later, Winkler moved back to Minnesota and launched a campaign for state attorney general in 2018. Winkler ended up withdrawing from that race and sought his old House seat instead. He won that contest and began his second stint in the House.
In 2018, DFLers won the House majority for the first time in six years and Winkler was elected House majority leader, the number two post in the DFL House Caucus.
As the majority leader, Winkler served as the right-hand man to then-Speaker Melissa Hortman and was the DFL’s primary messenger on the House floor. During his service in the legislature, Winkler had a history of well-documented controversial moments.
In 2013, Winkler publicly apologized after referring to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as “Uncle Thomas,” a variation of a derogatory term for a black man. Several years later, cameras captured Winkler flipping off then-Republican State Sen. Scott Jensen during a press conference.
In 2020, Winkler issued and later deleted a social media post which floated erroneous reports that a truck driver unintentionally caught up in a George Floyd protest on I-35W had confederate flags and white supremacist insignia.
During his second term as majority leader, Winkler announced a campaign for Hennepin County attorney. However, he lost the August primary to Mary Moriarty and Martha Holton Dimick. Moriarty went on to win the position and Winkler left the state legislature in 2023.
Since leaving public office, Winkler has been a frequent political commentator.
A proponent of THC products, Winkler started a THC beverage company in 2023. The company’s website still includes Winker on its list of team members, but Winkler’s LinkedIn profile says he left the company in April of 2024.
Now, Winkler has announced he will seek a House seat that is very similar to the legislative seats he has previously occupied. The district, House District 43B, includes all of Golden Valley, Robbinsdale, and a small portion of Plymouth and Crystal.
That seat opened up earlier this year after its occupant, DFL Rep. Mike Freiberg, launched a campaign for the Minnesota Senate. House District 43B is considered a solid DFL seat and the real contest for the office will likely be the DFL primary in August of next year.
“I’m running for the Minnesota House because our future depends on leaders who don’t back away from the hard work,” said Winkler in a campaign announcement. “Minnesota deserves a government that shows up, listens, and delivers.”
Winkler joins Sam Sant, a state tax auditor and former Robbinsdale school board member, in the DFL race for the seat.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
