A Delta Air Lines regional flight attendant is running for Congress. Kaela Berg is a Minnesota state repreentative and a 22-year crewmember at wholly-owned Endeavor Air. She’s profiled this weekend in the New York Times. Here’s what the Times won’t tell you about her campaign.
Minnesota listed her as a flight attendant when she was first elected in 2020. Her 2021-22 session record still used that title. For the 2023-24 and 2025-26 sessions, the Legislature lists her occupation as ‘independent labor consultant’. She is still publicly running on the flight attendant identity but she seems to be primarily a politician and activist now, though she reportedly still flies. (She can be both with some accommodation – most legislators in Minnesota consider the job part-time and she takes a leave of absence while the legislature is in session.)
She has built a political brand around being a working flight attendant while serving in office. And she emphasizes labor issues. She was a Bernie Sanders delegate in 2016. She supported adding flight crews to Minnesota’s earned sick and safe time law. More broadly she runs as a left of center populist focused on cost of living issues (groceries, health care, housing, and utilities), ‘taxing hte rich’, education and abortion. She’s endorsed by her union, Sara Nelson’s AFA-CWA.
She patrolled local for ICE agents and posted video of herself using a whistle to warn residents them nearby and honking. She wrote, “We will not let them operate in silence or without witnesses,”
This is the reality of what it is like in Minnesota right now. The district I represent in Burnsville is one of the most targeted communities in the state. There are ICE agents everywhere. We will not let them operate in silence or without witnesses. pic.twitter.com/HKLpgidE93
— Kaela Berg (@kaelaberg) January 19, 2026
She calls concerns about men in women’s prisons as “right-wing propaganda.”
Berg believes airline consolidation made fares expensive but while consolidation arguably hasn’t been pro-consumer (although financially stable airlines may on net be!), the long-run trend in airfares inclusive of fees is actually down. She also believes you shouldn’t fly with bare feet, so I may move to Minnesota and register so that I can vote for her.
So what her chances? Better in a general election if she can make it there.
- She closed 2025 with $53,162 cash on hand after raising $132,117. Two opponents did much better: Matt Klein closed with $328,327 after raising $565,209 and carrying no debt. Matt Little closed with $390,955 after raising $583,844, while showing $155,000 in debt.
- Berg pulled just 6.68% in a party straw poll, well behind Little at 43.29% and Klein at 20.97%. I haven’t been able to find public opinion polling in the race.
If she manages the nomination, Minnesota’s 2nd congressional district – in the south Twin Cities suburbs (old Northwest headquarters in Eagan) – is currently an open seat, with Angie Craig vacating to run for Senate. It’s leans Democratic (+3). And has shifted towards the D column from being more of a toss-up (55.5% in 2024, 50.9%, and a Dem seat in 2022 with 48.2%).
There are a lot of nutty lefty teachers, nutty lefty flight attendants, nutty lefty islamists, nutty lefty gays, and nutty lefty politicians, so why should more nuts surprise us any more.
Glad she’s running. We need more workers to run for office. Wishing Kaela and Minnesota the best!
(Haters gon hate…)
Sounds like a total moron that knows nothing about life. Of course, has zero interest in all the Somalian fraud.
@George Nathan Romey — What a calm and rational comment, like usual.
Please, all of you who feel this way, do tell your flight attendants, explicitly, and ideally before beverage and meals.
*clears throat*
Will she run on Fair Wages Living Wagee? FA are professionals. They should have pay equal or close to a mainline co-pilot, even if the FA works for a regional carrier? FAs should get $150,000 per year? $150k is a living wage, barely, in NYC.
How to pay for it? Tax the Rich. Tax the non-basic economy passenger. 91% income tax for the Rich?
Glad she’s using her minimum overnight to rest before her safety-related duties. Since as a proud AFA member she’s primarily here for our safety so happy to see taking that of the utmost importance while working. I’m sure those campaign calls and emails after a 3am arrival (as profiled in the NYT piece) were restful!
One problem with Congress is there are a lot of members in both parties that are simply unqualified to run the economy.