# Cheryl Youakim

Cheryl Youakim (born May 29, 1969) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2015. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Youakim represents District 46B in the western Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Hopkins and Edina, and parts of Hennepin County.

## Early life, education and career

Youakim attended Winona State University and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, graduating with a bachelor's degree in journalism. She served on the Hopkins city council from 2005 to 2013.

## Minnesota House of Representatives

Youakim was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2014, after DFL incumbent Steve Simon resigned to run for Minnesota Secretary of State, and has been reelected every two years since.
From 2019 to 2020 Youakim chaired the Education Policy Committee, and from 2021 to 2022 she chaired the Property Tax Division of the Taxes Committee. Since 2023, she has chaired the Education Finance Committee, and sits on the Education Policy, Taxes, and Ways and Means Committees.

## Electoral history

2014 Minnesota State House - District 46B :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic (DFL) | Cheryl Youakim | 9,525 | 68.50 |
| | Republican | Bryan P. Björnson | 4,353 | 31.30 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 28 | 0.20 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 13,906 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic (DFL) hold | Democratic (DFL) hold | Democratic (DFL) hold | Democratic (DFL) hold |
2016 Minnesota State House - District 46B :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic (DFL) | Cheryl Youakim (incumbent) | 14,988 | 68.67 |
| | Republican | Bryan P. Björnson | 6,760 | 31.97 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 78 | 0.36 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 21,826 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic (DFL) hold | Democratic (DFL) hold | Democratic (DFL) hold | Democratic (DFL) hold |
2018 Minnesota State House - District 46B :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic (DFL) | Cheryl Youakim (incumbent) | 16,400 | 75.48 |
| | Republican | Melissa Moore | 5,297 | 24.38 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 31 | 0.14 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 21,728 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic (DFL) hold | Democratic (DFL) hold | Democratic (DFL) hold | Democratic (DFL) hold |
2020 Minnesota State House - District 46B :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic (DFL) | Cheryl Youakim (incumbent) | 18,731 | 73.66 |
| | Republican | Melissa Moore | 6,670 | 26.23 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 27 | 0.11 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 25,428 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic (DFL) hold | Democratic (DFL) hold | Democratic (DFL) hold | Democratic (DFL) hold |
2022 Minnesota State House - District 46B :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic (DFL) | Cheryl Youakim (incumbent) | 14,738 | 97.12 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 437 | 2.88 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 15,175 | 100.0 |
| | Democratic (DFL) hold | Democratic (DFL) hold | Democratic (DFL) hold | Democratic (DFL) hold |

## Personal life

Youakim is married to her husband, Jacques. They have three children and reside in Hopkins, Minnesota.