Voters in St. Paul and the east metro area will decide Tuesday which candidates will advance to special elections for two vacant Minnesota House seats.
In St. Paul, six Democrats are vying for the safely blue seat left open by former DFL Rep. Kaohly Her, who won the city’s election for mayor in November.
The field includes labor lawyer and DFL-endorsed candidate Meg Luger-Nikolai; 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.
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, three Democrats are running to replace former DFL Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger, who was elected to the state Senate in November. They include nonprofit executive Shelley Buck, who has the DFL’s endorsement, and advocates David Azcona and Juli Servatius. There is no registered Republican in the race for Hemmingsen-Jaeger’s old seat, which covers parts of Woodbury and Maplewood.
The Jan. 27 special elections are expected to bring the Minnesota House back to a 67-67 tie between Democrats and Republicans.
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.
