State Sen. Ann Rest announces retirement after 40 years in office

After serving 40 years in the Minnesota Legislature, DFL state Sen. Ann Rest announced Tuesday that she will retire when her current term ends in 2026.

Rest arrived at the State Capitol in 1984 when she was elected to the Minnesota House, winning her seat by just 56 votes, according to the Minnesota Historical Election Archive.

Rest was elected seven more times to the House before she switched to the Senate in 2000. She is in her eighth term, which will be her last.

“Serving in the Minnesota Legislature for more than 40 years has been the honor of my life, and it will continue until my current term ends next year,” Rest said in a statement. “I’ve seen many changes in that time and made some happen myself; my priority of working to improve the lives of people in my district and across the state remains the same.”

Rest, who has represented the cities of Golden Valley, Crystal, Robbinsdale, Plymouth and her hometown of New Hope, said her decision was unrelated to the killing of colleague Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their Brooklyn Park home in June.

Vance Boelter, who is charged in the shootings, also is believed to have stopped by Rest’s street the same night but drove away when a New Hope officer confronted him.

Rest made a commitment to her family after the 2022 election that she would not seek re-election for a ninth term. In the past weeks, Rest has been encouraging women in her district to run for office, a statement from her office said.

In 2002, Rest was elected as an assistant majority leader, and in 2013, she was named Senate president pro tem, a position she still holds. Rest also is the only legislator to chair the tax committee in both chambers.