Democrats advance to special elections for Minnesota House seats

Voters in St. Paul and the east metro area picked two Democrats to advance to special elections for vacant Minnesota House seats.

In St. Paul, labor lawyer Meg Luger-Nikolai won a six-way DFL primary for the safely blue seat left open by former DFL Rep. Kaohly Her, who won the city’s election for mayor in November.

Luger-Nikolai, who had the DFL endorsement, won in a crowded field that also included legislative staffer Beth Fraser; John Zwier, who works in the Attorney General’s Office; small-business owner Matt Hill; longtime organizer Dan McGrath; and former health care executive Lois Quam.

She won nearly 30% of the vote with all precincts reporting.

The winner of Tuesday’s DFL primary will face Republican and IT professional Dan Walsh in a Jan. 27 special election.

In the east metro area, Shelley Buck won in a three-way race against advocates David Azcona and Juli Servatius.

Buck, a nonprofit executive, is running to replace former DFL Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger, who was elected to the state Senate in November. Buck had the DFL Party’s backing in the primary and won with more than 87% of the vote with all precincts reporting.

The Jan. 27 special elections are expected to bring the Minnesota House back to a 67-67 tie between Democrats and Republicans. Both seats swung heavily in favor of Democrats in the 2024 election.

The elections cap a year of upheaval for the Legislature, which experienced several resignations and deaths, including the June assassination of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman. There have been six special elections this year, tied for the record that was previously set in 1994.

The 2026 legislative session will begin Feb. 17.