Ron Latz

Latz earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin in 1985 and a J.D. from Harvard University in 1988. His career experience includes working as a lawyer.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Ron has dedicated decades to serving the communities of Senate District 46. A lifelong resident of the area, he grew up in Golden Valley, attended Hopkins Public Schools, and has served on numerous community boards, including the St. Louis Park Community Education Advisory Council, the Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing, and the Anti-Defamation League’s National Commission and Civil Rights Committee.

After earning his law degree from Harvard University, Ron returned home to serve as an Assistant Attorney General under Attorney General Hubert Humphrey III in the Public Safety and Human Services Divisions. Today, he practices law, representing Minnesotans in employment and criminal defense cases.

Ron served nine years on the St. Louis Park City Council before being elected to the Minnesota House in 2002 and the Minnesota Senate in 2006. He currently represents Senate District 46, which includes St. Louis Park, Hopkins, and part of Edina.

As Chair of the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, Ron has led major reforms to strengthen public safety, protect consumers, and improve Minnesota's justice system.

If elected, Ron will bring that same tested, trusted leadership back to Saint Paul to ban assault weapons, fight back against the Trump administration's attacks on Minnesota, and make it easier for families to afford housing and health care and raise children in our state.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Ron has been the Minnesota Senate's leading voice for gun violence prevention, championing the reforms that have made Minnesota safer. As the chief author of Minnesota's landmark Red Flag Law, he led the effort to pass Extreme Risk Protection Orders that have already been used hundreds of times to help prevent suicides and acts of violence. Following the Annunciation School shooting, Ron spearheaded Senate passage of Minnesota's first assault weapons ban. If re-elected, Ron will continue leading the fight to pass commonsense gun violence prevention measures that save lives, keep weapons out of dangerous hands, and help ensure every child can learn and grow in a safer community.Ron has been the Minnesota Senate's leading advocate for protecting Minnesotans from federal immigration overreach. As the chief architect of the Senate's ICE accountability package, he authored legislation to protect schools, childcare centers, hospitals, and courthouses from unlawful immigration enforcement, strengthen government accountability, and defend the constitutional rights of every Minnesotan. Ron believes our immigrant communities make Minnesota stronger, and he has fought to ensure they can live, work, and raise their families without fear. If re-elected, Ron will continue standing up to the Trump administration's campaign of retaliation against Minnesotans.Ron believes Minnesota should be the best place in the country to start and raise a family. That's why he fought to pass Paid Family and Medical Leave, ensuring workers can care for a new child, an aging parent, or their own health without sacrificing a paycheck. He also helped deliver universal school meals so every student can learn without hunger, earned sick and safe time so workers never have to choose between their health and their job, and an expanded Child Tax Credit that puts more money back into families' pockets. If re-elected, Ron will continue building an economy where every family has the support they need to thrive.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Ron has always been passionate about advancing equity and ensuring every Minnesotan is treated with dignity, respect, and fairness. He has led efforts to combat discrimination and hate, including passing Minnesota’s bias crime penalty enhancement law and expanding hate crime protections to include ethnicity, gender, gender identity, and gender expression. Ron voted to ban conversation therapy to protect LGBTQ+ youth, and he co-authored the CROWN Act to protect Black Minnesotans from discrimination based on natural hair. He continues working to reduce racial disparities in employment, policing, and economic opportunity so every community has the chance to thrive.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Giffords, Moms Demand Action, Protect Minnesota, Regional Council of Carpenters, AFSCME Council 5, Sheet Metal Workers, IBEW Local 292, 49er's, Iron Workers Local 512, SEIU State Council, AFL-CIO, Minneapolis Building and Construction Trades, Minnesota Pipe Trades, Minnesota Fire Fighters, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Edina Mayor Jim Hovland, Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hovland, Majority Leader Erin Murphy

Ron Latz did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Ron Latz did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Latz's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[9]

Excerpt: "Supporting our schools from Early Childhood and K-12 to our Higher Education Institutions"

Excerpt: "Investing in our transportation system and job growth locally and statewide"

Excerpt: "Protecting our vulnerable adults by increasing penalties against those who do them harm"

Excerpt: "Leading the charge to defend stem-cell research in Minnesota"

Excerpt: "Speaking against the Constitutional Amendment defining marriage between a man and a woman and for GLBT equal rights"