Kelly Morrison

Kelly Morrison
Born	Kelly Louise Morrison 2 2, 1969
Birthplace	Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Physician, politician
Known for	U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 3rd congressional district
Education	Yale University (BA) Case Western Reserve University (MD)
Spouse(s)	John Willoughby
Children	3
Website	[https://www.kellyforcongress.org/ Official site]

Kelly Louise Morrison (born February 2, 1969) is an American physician and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 3rd congressional district since January 2025. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Morrison was previously a member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 45 from 2023 to 2024, and before that served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023, representing District 33B. Born and raised in the Minneapolis area, Morrison trained as a physician and practiced obstetrics and gynecology before entering politics. She launched her congressional campaign in November 2023 after incumbent Dean Phillips announced he would not seek reelection to pursue a presidential bid, and she won the general election in November 2024, defeating Republican Tad Jude. Since taking office in Congress, Morrison has focused on public health issues, immigration oversight, and trade policy, drawing on her medical background to inform her legislative work.

Early Life

Kelly Louise Morrison was born on February 2, 1969, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She grew up in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Morrison later settled in the western suburbs of the Twin Cities, in the communities of Hennepin County that include Minnetonka, Mound, Minnetrista, and Orono.

Morrison pursued a career in medicine, becoming a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist. A 2018 report by MPR News noted that when Morrison first won election to the Minnesota House of Representatives, there were no physicians serving in the chamber, highlighting the relative rarity of doctors entering state-level politics in Minnesota. Her medical career informed much of her subsequent political work, particularly on health care and public health matters.

Morrison resides in the western Twin Cities metropolitan area with her husband, John Willoughby. The couple have three children.

Education

Morrison earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University. She attended Boston University before completing her Doctor of Medicine degree at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. Her medical training led her to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology, a field in which she practiced for many years before entering public service.

Career

Medical Career

Prior to entering politics, Morrison worked as a physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. Her medical practice was based in the western suburbs of the Twin Cities. When Morrison first ran for the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018, MPR News reported that no physician was then serving in the Minnesota House, underscoring the significance of her candidacy from a professional standpoint. Morrison's background in medicine became a central element of her political identity, and she frequently drew upon her clinical experience when addressing health care policy during her time in both the state legislature and the U.S. Congress.

Minnesota House of Representatives (2019–2023)

Morrison was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018, winning the seat for District 33B, which covers portions of the western Twin Cities suburbs. She succeeded Republican Cindy Pugh as the representative for the district. Morrison took office on January 8, 2019.

In her initial election, Morrison won in a district that had previously been represented by a Republican, reflecting broader DFL gains in suburban areas during the 2018 midterm elections. She was reelected in 2020, continuing to represent the district through the end of her term.

During her tenure in the Minnesota House, Morrison served on committees related to health care policy, drawing on her professional experience as a physician. Her time in the House established her as a prominent DFL voice in the western suburbs of Minneapolis, a region that had traditionally been more politically competitive.

Minnesota Senate (2023–2024)

Following redistricting, Morrison ran for the Minnesota Senate in 2022, seeking the newly drawn District 45 seat. She succeeded Ann Rest as the senator for the district. Morrison took office on January 3, 2023. She won the 2022 election for the Senate seat with a comfortable margin.

Morrison's move from the House to the Senate was part of a broader DFL effort to secure and expand the party's narrow majority in the Minnesota Senate following the 2022 elections. Her district in the western Twin Cities suburbs remained a key area for the DFL's suburban strategy.

Morrison served in the Minnesota Senate until June 6, 2024, when she resigned to focus on her campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. Her resignation had significant political implications, as it put the DFL's control of the Minnesota Senate at risk by requiring a special election to fill her seat. She was succeeded in the Minnesota Senate by Ann Johnson Stewart.

2024 Congressional Campaign

On November 9, 2023, Morrison announced her candidacy for Minnesota's 3rd congressional district in the 2024 U.S. House elections. Her announcement came shortly after the incumbent, Dean Phillips, stated that he would not seek reelection to his House seat in order to pursue a challenge against President Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries.

The Star Tribune identified the race for Minnesota's 3rd congressional district as one of the state's critical races of the 2024 election cycle. The 3rd district encompasses suburban areas west of Minneapolis and had become increasingly competitive in recent election cycles, with Phillips having flipped the seat from Republican to Democratic control in 2018.

Morrison's candidacy attracted the endorsement of the DFL, and she also announced her resignation from the Minnesota Senate in order to campaign full-time for the congressional seat. The Minnesota Reformer reported that Morrison won the DFL endorsement over State Senator Ann Johnson Stewart in a competitive endorsement contest for the district. Following Morrison's endorsement victory, Stewart announced she would not seek reelection to her own state Senate seat.

Morrison's campaign secured a range of endorsements from elected officials, organizations, and labor groups.

On November 5, 2024, Morrison won the general election, defeating Republican candidate Tad Jude to succeed Dean Phillips as the representative for Minnesota's 3rd congressional district.

U.S. House of Representatives (2025–present)

Morrison took office as the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 3rd congressional district on January 3, 2025, succeeding Dean Phillips. As a physician serving in Congress, Morrison has focused on health care, public health, and constituent services in the western Twin Cities suburbs.

Public Health Advocacy

In February 2026, Morrison led an effort with nearly 80 congressional colleagues to urge the Trump Administration to restore public health grant funding to Minnesota and other states. The initiative reflected Morrison's background in medicine and her concern about the impact of federal funding cuts on state-level public health infrastructure.

Immigration Detention Oversight

Morrison drew significant attention in early 2026 for her oversight of immigration detention conditions at the Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling in Minneapolis. In January 2026, Morrison, along with U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar and Angie Craig, was denied access to the immigration detention facility at Fort Snelling, prompting criticism from the lawmakers.

Morrison subsequently conducted oversight visits to the Whipple Detention Facility, where she described what she called "horrifying" conditions. According to her account, detainees were subjected to cold temperatures, shackling, and a lack of adequate medical care. She also raised concerns about the absence of protocols to prevent the spread of measles among detainees. The Star Tribune reported that Morrison toured the detention facility twice in one week, and her findings were widely covered by Minnesota media outlets.

Morrison's visits to the Whipple facility were part of broader Democratic oversight efforts related to ICE and Border Patrol detention practices. She described the conditions she witnessed as "dehumanizing" and called for improved standards of care for detainees.

Trade Policy

In February 2026, Morrison commented on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling against the Trump administration's tariff policies. She applauded the ruling and called for relief measures for small businesses in her district that had been affected by the tariffs.

Constituent Engagement

Morrison has maintained an active presence in her district. In February 2026, she visited the Eden Prairie Community Center during a donation drive organized by the city to collect supplies for local nonprofits supporting families in need.

Personal Life

Morrison is married to John Willoughby, and the couple have three children. They reside in the western suburbs of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, within the boundaries of Minnesota's 3rd congressional district.

Morrison's medical career as an obstetrician-gynecologist preceded and overlapped with her political career. Her professional background has been a recurring element of her public identity, and she has often referenced her clinical experience when discussing health care and public health policy.

Recognition

Morrison's 2024 congressional victory was noted as one of the significant outcomes in Minnesota's federal races that year. The Star Tribune identified the 3rd district race as one of the state's critical contests of the 2024 cycle, reflecting the district's competitive nature and the significance of the open seat created by Dean Phillips's departure.

Her oversight work at the Whipple Federal Building detention facility in early 2026 received extensive media coverage from multiple Minnesota news outlets, including MPR News, the Star Tribune, Sahan Journal, and Bring Me The News, drawing attention to conditions at the facility and to broader questions about immigration detention practices.

Morrison's role as one of the few physicians serving in the U.S. Congress has distinguished her within the legislative body, particularly in debates related to public health funding and health care policy. Her effort to lead nearly 80 colleagues in urging the restoration of public health grant funding demonstrated her capacity to build coalitions on health-related issues in Congress.