State Sen. Katie Sieben, a Newport DFLer once seen as a rising star in her party, said Tuesday that she would not run for reelection this year.
"After 14 years of elected service, I look forward to exploring other opportunities," Sieben, 38, said in a statement.
Sieben is the Senate's assistant majority leader. In 2014, she was on a short list of finalists when Gov. Mark Dayton was looking to replace his first-term lieutenant governor, but she lost out to his then-chief of staff, Tina Smith.
While she holds one of the top spots in the DFL caucus, Sieben is known to have been among a group of DFL senators who clashed with Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, over his leadership style at the end of last year's legislative session.
A spokeswoman for Bakk said he had discussed Sieben's decision with her but is refraining from any individual statements about DFL retirements until the last day of the upcoming legislative session, when he will speak about his colleagues on the Senate floor.
"Katie Sieben has been one of the stars of the Senate and the DFL caucus and her decision to leave is a big loss for us all," said Sen. Dick Cohen, DFL-St. Paul.
Sieben's decision adds her to a growing list of Senate DFLers not running for re-election this year, particularly women. With her decision, the Senate is now losing a fourth of its current female members -- four DFLers and one Republican.
Elected to the House in 2002 and the Senate in 2006, Sieben hails from a prominent DFL family in Washington and Dakota counties. Her father, Mike Sieben, served in the state House from 1973 to 1982; her uncle, Harry Sieben, was also a long-serving House member who was speaker from 1980 to 1984. Other family members held elected positions or worked for prominent DFLers.
Of her father, Katie Sieben said: "He told me I'd never regret serving in public office, and he was right. The ability to help people, to make a difference, and to work for what I believe is right has been incredibly rewarding."
