Matt Little

Matthew Martin Little (born November 24, 1984) is an American attorney and politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 58 in the southern Twin Cities metropolitan area from 2017 to 2021. Little is the DFL nominee for the United States House of Representatives in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district in 2026. He received the party endorsement for the seat in May 2026 and won the DFL primary on August 11.

Biography

Early life and education Matt Little was born and raised in Lakeville, Minnesota, graduating from Rosemount High School in 2003 before earning a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Minnesota Morris in 2007.

Early political career and attorney practice In 2010, Little was elected to the Lakeville City Council. In 2012, at age 27, he became the youngest person to be elected mayor of Lakeville. He served as mayor until 2016, when he was elected to the state Senate. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported in 2025 that his practice represented seniors and people with disabilities as well as people who had been injured through negligence or abuse.

While in the Senate, Little was involved in efforts to address the rising cost of insulin. In December 2018, he convened an informal discussion at the state Capitol with patients, advocates, and lawmakers about insulin prices and said he had drafted several proposals aimed at controlling costs, including a price cap. By January 2019, MPR News described Little as a leading Senate advocate for several proposals intended to reduce insulin costs. An insulin-assistance provision passed both legislative chambers that spring but was omitted from the final health and human services budget agreement; Little subsequently convened bipartisan negotiations over an emergency assistance program. The Legislature ultimately passed the Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act in 2020.

Little gained national attention in 2020 for his use of the social media app TikTok. By August, the Star Tribune reported that he had accumulated more than 130,000 followers, and Politico profiled him as one of a small number of elected officials making extensive use of the platform to reach younger voters.

Little ran for reelection in 2020 but lost to Republican nominee Zach Duckworth. The contest drew substantial outside spending from both parties. In late October, the Star Tribune reported that Republican groups had spent more than $300,000 to defeat Little and DFL-aligned groups had spent more than $400,000 to support him, describing him as a leading Republican target in the fight for control of the Senate.

In 2022, Little ran for Dakota County Attorney but lost to Kathy Keena, receiving 48.06% of the vote to Keena's 51.52%.

During Operation Metro Surge, Little was among Democratic candidates who participated in protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the southern Twin Cities suburbs. In April 2026, The Intercept reported that local rapid response units opposing ICE activity were concerned that Minnesota Democrats were co-opting the movement for votes, with some activists claiming that Little had used the movement for political gain.

Little addressed the criticism during an interview with WCCO-TV, saying that his involvement in the movement was personal because his wife, a naturalized citizen and a U.S. resident since age 10, had to carry documents during Operation Metro Surge. He said: "We posted some videos to hold them accountable, but there's a whole host of stuff we were doing that we don't post about, don't talk about. It was important to be out there for my family." Later in the campaign, the Minnesota Star Tribune also reported that Little often discussed his wife's experience as an immigrant and her decision to keep her U.S. passport nearby during the federal immigration operation. The race was widely framed as a contest between the party's progressive and moderate wings, with Little and Berg running to Klein's left. In the final weeks, outside groups spent millions of dollars in the race; the Star Tribune reported that 314 Action had spent $2.5 million supporting Klein since July 20, while groups supporting Little had spent more than $407,000. He advocates replacing ICE with an agency that he says would operate in accordance with the U.S. Constitution, mandating clear identification for agents, restricting the qualified immunity of federal agents by amending Section 1983 of Title 42 of the United States Code, and ensuring transparency about the location of detainees. His opposition to the federal immigration operation was also a prominent part of his campaigning in the southern Twin Cities suburbs during the winter of 2026. He has also expressed support for organized labor and collective bargaining as part of his economic platform. His platform also calls for restoring loan balances to their original principal amounts, strengthening loan-servicer accountability and forgiving remaining federal student-loan balances after 20 years. The Minnesota Star Tribune described Medicare for All as one of the pillars of his campaign, and FOX 9 likewise identified the proposal as a central part of his platform.

Israel–Palestine conflict Little condemned Hamas's October 7 attacks, as well as Israel's subsequent military response, which he has called "genocidal". During his speech to the May 2026 DFL endorsing convention, he identified transgender rights as one of the issues on which he wanted the party to take a more assertive position.

Anti-corruption Little has publicly refused campaign funding from AIPAC, super PACs, health insurance PACs, and corporate PACs. A ban on corporate campaign contributions was one of the campaign positions highlighted in the Minnesota Star Tribunes coverage of the primary. During the 2026 campaign, he called for a wealth tax; the Minnesota Star Tribune reported that he promoted the proposal in his speech to the DFL endorsing convention, while FOX 9 described taxes on the wealthy as part of his general-election platform.

Public safety and police Little opposes reducing police staffing and has expressed concern about cybercrime, fentanyl trafficking, and human trafficking. He supports funding law-enforcement training and the Dakota County Safety and Mental Health Alternative Response Training Center, commonly known as the SMART Center. He has also argued that law-enforcement officers who use unnecessary force or violate due process should be held accountable.

Elections