Education
Goodwin attended North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, then went on to Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, receiving her Bachelor of Arts with numerous honors in Sociology and Political Science.
Goodwin attended North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, then went on to Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, receiving her Bachelor of Arts with numerous honors in Sociology and Political Science.
On June 1, 2010, Goodwin filed as a DFL candidate for the Minnesota Senate representing District 50. The district includes the cities of Arden Hills, Columbia Heights, Fridley, Hilltop, New Brighton, Shoreview and Saint Anthony and is divided between Anoka and Ramsey Counties. On June 28, 2010, the district committee voted to revoke the endorsement from embattled incumbent Senator Satveer Chaudhary and grant it to her.
She defeated Chaudhary in the August 10, 2010, DFL Primary, garnering 70% of the vote to Chaudhary"s 30%.
Goodwin was re-elected to District 41 in 2012, receiving 62.82% of the vote and defeating Republican candidate Gina Bauman. While in the House, she specialized in state budget issues, consumer protections, homeowner construction and repair protections, jobs, education, health care and business and labor issues.
She also supported expanded transit options. Her special legislative concerns include jobs, budget, consumers, and health care.
Goodwin encountered controversy when she was quoted in the Minneapolis Star Tribune as saying that although she supports gay marriage, she is uncomfortable about moving so quickly to legalize it in Minnesota.
Goodwin has lived in Columbia Heights since 1991. She was born in North-East Minneapolis She is in a relationship with Bill Heaney originally from Duluth.
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, Democratic Party.
A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represents District 41, which includes portions of Anoka, Hennepin, and Ramsey counties in the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area. Goodwin served on the Columbia Heights School Board from November 2009 until becoming a member of the Senate, and has also served as an adjunct professor at the Hamline University Graduate School of Business in Saint Paul from 2008 until 2010, teaching legislative practice and government contracting. Goodwin previously served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007.