Patricia Torres Ray

Patricia Torres Ray (born March 25, 1964) is a Colombian-American politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represented District 63, which includes portions of southeastern Minneapolis and eastern Richfield in Hennepin County in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. She is the first Latina woman to serve in the Minnesota Senate. She ran for Congress in Minnesota's 5th district in 2018 to succeed Congressman Keith Ellison, but lost the primary to Ilhan Omar. In November 2021, she announced that she would not run for reelection in 2022.

Education Torres Ray studied at the University of Minnesota, earning a B.A. in urban studies and a MPA from the Humphrey Institute in 2004. The team withdrew from the race at the 2010 DFL State Convention.

2018 Congressional campaign

On June 5, 2018, Torres Ray filed to run for the 5th district congressional seat previously held by Keith Ellison. Her platform focused on public education, immigration, and climate change. The primary election was held on August 14, with State Representative Ilhan Omar receiving a plurality of votes to advance to the general election.

Electoral history

Minnesota Senate 63rd district election, 2020 Patricia Torres Ray (DFL), 40,742 (77.64%) Diane Napper (R), 8,231 (15.69%) Chris Wright (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis) 3,460 (6.59%) Minnesota Senate 63rd district election, 2016 Patricia Torres Ray (DFL), 38,470 (80.70%) Ron Moey (R), 9068, (19.02%) Write-in, 135 (0.28%) Minnesota Senate 63rd district election, 2012 Patricia Torres Ray (DFL), 36,866 (80.81%) Patrick Marron (R), 8,636 (18.93%) Write-in, 117 (0.26%) Minnesota Senate 62nd district election, 2010 Patricia Torres Ray (DFL), 26,671 (79.64%) Patrick Elgin (R), 6,751 (20.16%) Write-in, 68 (0.20%) Minnesota Senate 62nd district election, 2006 Patricia Torres Ray (DFL), 28,787 (81.25%) Dan Mathias (R), 6,569 (18.54%) Write-in, 76 (0.21%)

Personal life Torres Ray met her husband, Jack, when he was a University of Minnesota student in Colombia for a study abroad internship. They married in 1987. She then immigrated to Minnesota with him, learned English, and became a U.S. citizen.

She and Jack have two sons.