GOP Lt. Governor Candidate Visits Red Lake; Meets with Tribal Council

The State of Minnesota will almost surely have a Native American woman Lieutenant Governor come 2019. Earlier in the year, GOP endorsed Governor Jeff Johnson had chosen for his running mate Donna Bergstrom, a Red Lake Nation member, and DFL endorsed Governor Tim Walz chose Peggy Flanagan, a White Earth Nation member. Flanagan visited with the Red Lake Tribal Council recently.

Bergstrom of Duluth came home to re-introduce herself to the Red Lake Tribal Council at their regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Tuesday, September 11, 2018. Bergstrom shared her family and personal history with the Council, along with her political resume before taking a few questions.

Bergstrom was born in 1963 to LeRoy and Carol (Lussier) Bergstrom, the fifth of seven children, she graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BA in Political Science in 1985.

Bergstrom joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve, earning a commission through the Officer Candidate School. She went on to serve over 20 years as an Intelligence Officer before retiring in 2010 at the grade of Lieutenant Colonel.

Bergstrom also holds a Master of Jurisprudence Degree from Loyola University-Chicago School of Law in Children's Law and Policy.

Growing up in Carlton, Bergstrom received her bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Minnesota and master's at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She lives in Duluth's Lakeside neighborhood with her 12-year-old son and her husband, Walter "Skip" Fischer.