zlacker

Would you care to estimate the number of Americans who even knew her name?

She had power in MN, but had not become a "national" politician (yet).

>>PaulDa+(OP)
I made no claim that she was a national figure. Merely pointing out that calling a politician holding one of the highest offices in state government a niche, local politician intentionally diminishes them.

>>germin+L8
I was not intentionally trying to diminish her.

I suspect that unless you live in New Mexico, you have no idea who the speaker of the NM House is. That's not a diminshment of the office or the person holding it, it's a recognition that while such positions come with significant power within the context of a state, they are quite hidden from residents of other states.

>>PaulDa+7k
They hold meaningful office within their states. That is neither niche nor local even if they lack a national profile.