Sydney Jordan won a special primary election for a state House seat made up mostly of northeast Minneapolis on Tuesday night, defeating a crowded field of DFL challengers.

Jordan drew nearly 29% of the vote against 10 candidates to advance to a Feb. 4 special election, where she will face Legal Marijuana Now candidate Marty Super. No Republicans are in the race.

The winner of that contest will fill the seat held for 15 years by DFL Rep. Diane Loeffler, who died in November.

"Diane was a really incredible legislator … she cared about some of the most vulnerable Minnesotans," Jordan said. "They're really big shoes to fill and it's going to take a while to become the type of leader that Diane was."

The Minneapolis district is home to many recent University of Minnesota graduates, like Jordan. Currently the state director for Save the Boundary Waters, Jordan has worked as an organizer and director for various political groups and campaigns since graduating in 2013. She has highlighted her numerous union endorsements and described herself as "staunchly pro-union," "anti-racist" and "pro-abortion."

The race for House District 60A in Minneapolis is one of two special elections this winter. Republican Paul Novotny won a two-person primary last week for House District 30A, which spans from Elk River west to Big Lake. He will face DFLer Chad Hobot on Feb. 4. The winner will replace Rep. Nick Zerwas, who resigned and became a lobbyist at the Capitol.

Ryan Faircloth • 612-673-4234 Twitter: @ryanfaircloth