Transgender Candidate to Enter Minnesota Congressional Race

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A 59-year-old who was born a man but identifies as a woman plans to run for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District.

Paula Overby believes she will be the first openly transgendered person from Minnesota to run for Congress.

Overby, a quality assurance analyst from Eagan, has never been a candidate or held appointed office.

She will face Thomas Craft, another political newcomer, and Mike Obermueller, who lost a 2012 bid to unseat U.S. Rep. John Kline, R-Lakeville. Kline has held the seat for more than a decade.

Overby acknowledged her gender identity may be a polarizing issue, but she doesn't want it to define her candidacy.

Overby says that she'll focus on reforming what she believes is a broken campaign finance system.