She was a candidate for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party endorsement for governor in the 2010 election, and became a principal at Minneapolis-based law firm Gray Plant Mooty.

Gaertner has resided in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, with her husband, John Wodele, the former press secretary for Governor Jesse Ventura.

After graduation, Gaertner served as a clerk in the office of Federal Appeals Court Judge Gerald W. Heaney, and later worked as a criminal defense attorney for the William Mauzy Law Firm.

[1] In 2002 Gaertner was inducted into the Harding High School Hall of Fame in recognition of her successful Truancy Intervention Program.

[citation needed] In 2009, Gaertner announced her candidacy for governor as a Democrat, citing her experience as a prosecutor in Ramsey County.