Sen. Pappas to retire;
candidates announce bids for District 65 seat

Sen. Pappas to retire; candidates announce bids for District 65 seat
By Tim Spitzack | Editor | December 2025

After 42 years in the Minnesota Legislature, Sen. Sandy Pappas (DFL-District 65) is stepping down. She recently announced she will retire at the end of the 2026 session. Her district includes downtown, the West Side and the northern portion of West St. Paul.

Pappas was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1984 and served there until her election to the Minnesota Senate in 1990. During her tenure she has advocated for workers and unions, and social and economic equality for women and people of color. Pappas served as senate president (2013-2016) and chaired numerous committees, including Senate Capital Investment Committee; Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement; Senate State and Local Government Committee; Senate Higher Education Committee; Senate Education Committee; Senate Property Tax Division; and House Judiciary: Facilities Assessment subcommittee.

“The Legislature has been so much a part of my life that leaving is like saying farewell to my family,” said Pappas in a statement. “I have worked alongside Minnesotans on issues from reproductive rights to pension policy; traveled from the Northwest Angle to our Iowa border on countless bonding tours; and collaborated with hundreds of colleagues to improve Minnesotans’ lives. I am proud of the work I have accomplished to help Minnesotans of all ages, backgrounds and beliefs live healthier, safer and more fulfilling lives. To the people of St. Paul, thank you. It has been the privilege of a lifetime to advocate for each of you, and I look forward to passing the baton to the next person who represents our district.”
Pappas is the former executive director of Forward Global Women and taught public policy at Metropolitan State for 20 years.

Two candidates have already announced their bid for the Senate District 65 seat.

West Sider Carlo Franco will seek the DFL endorsement at the 2026 convention. Franco is employed by the City of St. Paul as a program coordinator for the Right Track Youth Employment and Training Program and serves on several local nonprofit boards. Previously, he was a program director for the St. Paul Parks and Recreation department and a Restorative Practices coordinator at Humboldt High School. He was elected to a city-wide seat on the St. Paul School Board in 2023 and currently serves as treasurer.

Franco is a graduate of Humboldt High School and a first-generation college graduate, earning a B.A. from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in child psychology and leadership. His campaign is focused on fully funding public education; workforce development; creating thriving neighborhoods and improving community safety; high quality after school programming; livable wages; union protections; affordable housing; and economic development.

“As a lifelong public servant deeply rooted in the communities of District 65, I am committed and determined to fight for our families and working people,” said Franco in a statement. “Our community can count on me to fight to make our lives more affordable and safer with policies that center our people.”

For more information, visit carlofranco.org.

Robyn Gulley is also seeking the DFL endorsement for the seat. A long-time labor educator and community activist, Gulley currently serves on the West St. Paul City Council and on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. She is a strong advocate for free speech, worker rights, the well-being of cities and strict gun control measures.

“My campaign for State Senate will be a grassroots campaign to bring another progressive voice to the State Capitol,” she said in a statement. “I am pro-labor, pro-choice, pro-immigrant and support gun control. I pledge to work hard every day of this campaign to earn the support of every resident, regardless of background, gender identity or country of origin.”

Gulley served as co-chair of the Minnesota Chapter of Local Progress, an organization of progressive leaders elected to local government, and is currently the chair of the DFL’s Senate District 65 local party unit. She worked as an adjunct professor of leadership at the University of Minnesota and Metro State University, served as the education coordinator for the Minnesota AFL-CIO, and co-founded the nonprofit New Brookwood Labor College, which educates union members on worker rights, union leadership, and how to run for office. She worked for TakeAction Minnesota on the Vote No on Voter Restriction ballot campaign and spent five years canvassing for marriage equality with the Human Rights Campaign.

Recently, she joined the SEIU Doctors Council as their Midwest regional coordinator. A graduate of the College of Santa Fe, she has a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School, a master’s degree in international human rights law from Central European University, and is completing a doctorate in education at Hamline University. She and her family live in West St. Paul. For more information, visit robyngulley.com.