After decades in St. Paul, trailblazing lawmakers reflect on what’s changed for women in politics

In the early 1980s, Sandy Pappas had her third child on the way and had just been laid off from her job. She wasn’t happy with her representative in the Legislature, so she and her husband agreed she would run.

“We had the campaign slogan, ‘She will deliver,’” state Sen. Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, joked in an interview.

It ended up being a trial run. She supported the incumbent that year as people worried about her pregnancy. He, in turn, agreed to retire so she could run two years later. But he didn’t.

Pappas ran against him in the primary, and won the general election that fall, charting a course to become one of the most tenured lawmakers in the Legislature. She and Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, were both elected in 1984, joining 19 other women. Pappas won the primary in her heavily Democratic district by only a few dozen votes. Rest won that fall by a similarly razor-thin margin.

Now, they’re both retiring when their terms end in early 2027, taking with them a collective 84 years of legislating experience. In their decades serving in St. Paul, they watched as women went from being relegated to the sidelines to leading caucuses and top committees at the Capitol. Rest and Pappas both had a hand in passing significant changes to state law over the years and ushered in progressive policies meant to help women.

On their way out, they’re reflecting on how much has changed and hoping more women come in behind them to serve. In Rest’s retirement announcement, she said she had been encouraging women leaders to consider running for her seat.

“The more there are of us, the better the Legislature is,” Rest said.

“I don’t think it was even controversial,” Pappas said. “He was just going to give me a hard time, and sometimes, you know, as soon as the radical feminist from St. Paul brought up a bill, people were suspicious.”

Rest was drawn to politics after getting involved in local DFL candidate conventions. In 1972, she met former Vice President Walter Mondale — then a U.S. senator — at one. She appreciated politicians’ accessibility.

Working as an accountant at the time, she delivered tax return extension applications to St. Paul. One day in April, the Legislature was in session, so she stopped by the tax committee.

“And I said to myself, ‘I can do that,’” Rest said. Then she watched the House floor session. “And I said, ‘Well, I can definitely do that,’ and so I was kind of hooked.”

She survived many close elections in the suburbs, including a near loss over her support for Target Field.

“Women rule now; we are in charge,” Pappas said.

Pappas has had a hand in significant legislation, from earned sick and safe time to a state program to help Minnesotans save for retirement, which launches next month. She sponsored the Women’s Economic Security Act, which requires employers to accommodate pregnant and nursing employees.

More than anything, Pappas said she wants to be remembered for her work ethic as a legislator. She said she’s never been one for dramatic speeches on the floor, despite her theater background.

“I’d want to be remembered more as a workhorse than a show horse,” Pappas said, calling herself a “pragmatic progressive.”

“I have strong values, and I have had the same values my entire career,” she said.

Rest is also the chair of the Taxes Committee, a position she held in both the House and the Senate and called the “highlight of my political career.” No other legislator has chaired the committee in both chambers.

Rest said one of her priorities over the years has been her commitment to the poor, the sick and the children. She said one of her biggest accomplishments was her child tax credit bill, which passed the Legislature in 2023 and provides a credit of up to $1,750 per child.

“The state of Minnesota is going to say, ‘You make your family choices, and we will act through the child tax credit to keep you out of poverty or to raise you up from poverty,’” Rest said.

Both Pappas and Rest said they thought about retiring after their last terms but stayed to help Democrats retake the majority in 2022.

Pappas said she hopes the Legislature will make the Minnesota Capitol a more “family-friendly place” and establish on-site child care.

“There is definitely a loss,” she said, “but that also means they bring in fresh ideas and new ways of looking at things.”

After 40 years in the Legislature, Rest is still working hard. The Friday before Thanksgiving, the 83-year-old lawmaker looked around the Senate Office Building wondering where everyone was.