District 39B has endorsed Amáda Márquez Simula as the 2026 DFL candidate for the Minnesota House of Representatives.
On April 4, delegates at the DFL local convention in Fridley heard three candidates give speeches and responses to questions in the race for the House seat. Following the demonstrations, delegates overwhelmingly voted in support of Márquez Simula. Restorative justice advocate Elijah Norris-Holilday conceded the race and joined Amáda’s campaign. Justice Spriggs, who Amáda helped elect to the Columbia Heights City Council in 2022, received only a handful of votes but will continue running, forcing the district into a primary election.
Amáda Márquez Simula is currently serving her third term as Mayor of Columbia Heights, where she has a strong track record of success. Her leadership has brought new grants and funding to the district as well as new initiatives for sustainability, green technology, immigrant representation, youth representation, and LGBTQIA representation.
Márquez Simula built a coalition of mayors across the Twin Cities metro to stand against Operation Metro Surge and practices co-governing alongside other district leaders, such as Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, Mayor Wendy Webster of Saint Anthony Village, and Mayor Kari Niedfeldt-Thomas of New Brighton.