A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represented District 49 in the southwest Twin Cities metropolitan area, including the Minneapolis suburbs of Edina, Eden Prairie, Bloomington, and Minnetonka.

[1] She attended the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico and graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.

She later attended the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, graduating in 2003 with a Master of Public Policy in economic development, and Hamline University School of Law, graduating in 2006 with a Juris Doctor.

[2] For eight years, López Franzen was an attorney at Target Corporation, where she held various positions in government affairs and community relations.

[3] López Franzen left NewPublica to start a new role as the executive director of Government and Community Relations for the University of Minnesota, effective August 28, 2023.