María Isa Pérez-Vega is an American politician and musician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. She represents District 65B in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Saint Paul and West St. Paul and parts of Dakota and Ramsey Counties.1
Born on May 1, 1987, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to parents of Puerto Rican heritage, Pérez-Vega was raised on the West Side of Saint Paul, the community she now represents. She graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in cultural studies.
In 2018, Pérez-Vega traveled to Puerto Rico to help with the recovery effort in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, helping raise more than $270,000 for a fund with the St. Paul Foundation. She also helped raise awareness and funds in the aftermath of massive earthquakes in 2020 and Hurricane Fiona in 2022.
Pérez-Vega is also a rapper and signer and has been active in the Twin Cities hip hop scene since she was a teenager. She owns the record company SotaRico, whose name honors her Minnesotan and Puerto Rican roots. In 2018, Pérez-Vega performed at the 32nd annual Governor’s Council Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration at the State Capitol and the Minnesota Women’s March.
Pérez-Vega was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2022. She first ran after legislative redistricting and the retirement of 16-term DFL incumbent Carlos Mariani. Pérez-Vega serves on the Children and Families Finance and Policy, Education Finance, and Housing Finance and Policy Committees.
She is a lifelong Minnesotan, raised on the West Side of Saint Paul, the community she now represents. She is a cultural community organizer, international recording artist, and youth worker running for the Minnesota House of Representatives District 65B.
