# María Isa Pérez-Vega *Minnesota state representative (DFL) for District 65B, serving since 2023* María Isa Pérez-Vega (born May 1, 1987) is a musician and a Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) member of the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]], where she has held the District 65B seat since 2023.[^1] The district lies in the Twin Cities area and takes in part of [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]] and West St. Paul, along with portions of Dakota and Ramsey Counties.[^1] She won the seat in 2022. She ran after legislative redistricting and after the 16-term DFL incumbent, Carlos Mariani, retired.[^2] With [[Aisha Gomez]] she co-led the "Driver's Licenses For All" bill, which both chambers passed and Governor [[Tim Walz]] signed on March 7, 2023.[^3] In 2026 she is running for the Ramsey County Commission rather than for another House term.[^2] ## Early life, education and career Pérez-Vega was born on the West Side of Saint Paul to parents of Puerto Rican heritage. Governor [[Rudy Perpich]] named her mother director of the office of equal opportunity. She holds a degree in cultural studies from Columbia College Chicago.[^4] After Hurricane Maria she went to Puerto Rico in 2018 to assist the recovery. She helped raise more than $270,000 for a fund with the St. Paul Foundation. She also raised awareness and money after earthquakes in 2020 and after Hurricane Fiona in 2022.[^4] During the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries she backed Bernie Sanders. She took part in the DFL Latino Caucus, which relaunched as "Movimiento".[^4] She was a friend of [[George Floyd]], who was killed by [[Minneapolis]] police officer [[Derek Chauvin]] in May 2020. After Floyd's death she called him a "gentle, precious, funny giant".[^4] ### Music career Pérez-Vega is a rapper and singer. She has performed in the Twin Cities hip-hop scene since her teens. Her record company, SotaRico, takes its name from her Minnesotan and Puerto Rican roots.[^5] Her 2018 performances included the 32nd annual Governor's Council Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration at the State Capitol and the Minnesota Women's March. In 2020 she performed at Sanders's Saint Paul campaign rally.[^5] She released the LP *Capitolio* (Spanish for "capital") on the day she took the oath of office as a state representative. She also announced that she would keep making music while serving.[^5] ## Minnesota House of Representatives Pérez-Vega first won election to the House in 2022. She entered the race after legislative redistricting and Mariani's retirement.[^2] Her committee assignments are Children and Families Finance and Policy, Education Finance, and Housing Finance and Policy. In 2023 Walz named her to the Capitol Area Community Vitality Task Force.[^2] She is not a candidate for reelection in 2026. She is seeking a seat on the Ramsey County Commission instead.[^2] ### Political positions Pérez-Vega and Gomez co-led the "Driver's Licenses For All" legislation. The bill cleared both chambers, and Walz signed it on March 7, 2023.[^3] The measure provides for undocumented immigrants in [[Minnesota]] to obtain driver's licenses. Then-Governor [[Tim Pawlenty]] had revoked that right in 2003, when Pérez-Vega was in high school. She has described the bill's benefits for the immigrant community.[^3] In 2023 there was a suspected arson at a mosque in Saint Paul. Afterward she appeared with Muslim legislators and community leaders and said the fires amounted to terrorism against the Muslim community.[^3] ## Personal life Pérez-Vega lives on Saint Paul's West Side and has one child. She was formerly married to Twin Cities rapper Robert Hedges, who performs under the stage name Muja Messiah.[^6] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *María Isa Pérez-Vega*, lead section (revision 1376030709, retrieved 2026-10-26) — birth date, party, House service since 2023, District 65B and its area. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_Isa_P%C3%A9rez-Vega [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *María Isa Pérez-Vega*, section *Minnesota House of Representatives* (revision 1376030709, retrieved 2026-10-26) — 2022 election, Mariani's retirement, committees, 2023 task-force appointment, 2026 Ramsey County Commission candidacy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_Isa_P%C3%A9rez-Vega [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *María Isa Pérez-Vega*, subsection *Political positions* (revision 1376030709, retrieved 2026-10-26) — Driver's Licenses For All bill, March 7, 2023 signing, 2003 revocation, 2023 mosque-arson statement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_Isa_P%C3%A9rez-Vega [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *María Isa Pérez-Vega*, section *Early life, education and career* (revision 1376030709, retrieved 2026-10-26) — birthplace, mother's appointment, education, relief fundraising, 2020 primary support, Latino Caucus, Floyd statement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_Isa_P%C3%A9rez-Vega [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *María Isa Pérez-Vega*, subsection *Music career* (revision 1376030709, retrieved 2026-10-26) — SotaRico, 2018 and 2020 performances, release of *Capitolio*. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_Isa_P%C3%A9rez-Vega [^6]: Wikipedia contributors, *María Isa Pérez-Vega*, section *Personal life* (revision 1376030709, retrieved 2026-10-26) — residence, child, former marriage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_Isa_P%C3%A9rez-Vega