Trina Swanson

Trina Swanson is a former senior official at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from Hermantown, running as the Democratic nominee (DFL) against incumbent Pete Stauber in her first campaign for public office. According to her campaign, she left federal service in 2025 and started a law firm before entering the race. She is campaigning on affordability, government accountability and rural community investment.[1][2][3]

Swanson grew up in Hermantown, Minnesota, and graduated from Hermantown High School; according to her campaign website, her mother was a nurse and her father worked in construction and at a paper mill.[1][2] She began her federal career at 18 at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Duluth, working there through college and law school, and graduated from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law.[1][2][3] After law school Swanson joined USCIS, first in the Minnesota field office, and held senior roles in Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., Germany and Kenya, including responsibilities during national emergency operations in the United States.[3][4][2]

According to her campaign website, she rose to Director of International Operations at USCIS and received two DHS Secretary's Awards during about 25 years of federal service.[2] Swanson says she left federal service in 2025 rather than compromise her oath after being asked to carry out directives she believed were unethical, then returned to Minnesota and started a law firm.[2][1] Her KAXE candidate survey response lists her as a founding partner of the law firm JET Global Solutions.[5] She announced her candidacy for Minnesota's 8th District in January 2026, won the DFL endorsement in April, and won the August 11, 2026 Democratic primary with about 77% of the vote.[3][4]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.