Minnesota elections: Her beats Carter for St. Paul mayor; DFL keeps state Senate control
Duluth voters OK 'Right to Repair'
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With counting complete in most of Tuesday’s elections, here’s the latest in key races:
In a stunning defeat, St. Paul, Mayor Melvin Carter lost his race for a third term to Kaohly Her, a state representative, after second-choice ballots were counted early Wednesday morning. She will be the city’s first woman to be mayor and first person of Hmong ancestry to lead the city.
The Minnesota Senate will keep its DFL majority with a a 34-33 split for the next session, results from two key races show.
In Minneapolis, no mayoral candidate reached the threshold needed to be declared the winner after first-choice ballots were tallied, including incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey. City officials say tabulation will continue Wednesday and Thursday if necessary.
Voters returned three incumbents to the board of the state’s largest school district, Anoka-Hennepin.
Duluth voters approved a “Right to Repair” measure giving renters power to make some repairs and deduct the cost from their rent.
Here’s more detail on the key races and ballot measures voters weighed in on Tuesday.
Minnesota Senate control stays with DFL
The Minnesota Senate will keep its DFL majority with a a 34-33 split for the 2026 session, results from two key races show.
In Senate District 47, a region covering Woodbury and a section of Maplewood, DFL state Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger topped Republican candidate Dwight Dorau with all precincts reporting. The seat became vacant after the conviction of former DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell.
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In Senate District 29, composed of exurban and rural communities in Wright County, Republican Michael Holmstrom Jr. topped DFL candidate Louis McNutt for the seat, which came open following the death of GOP Sen. Bruce Anderson.
Minneapolis and St. Paul mayor races
Incumbent mayors in both cities were trying for rare third terms. Both cities use ranked choice voting — instead of choosing just one candidate voters rank them in order of preference. Both incumbents failed to gain the votes needed to win after first-choice votes were tallied.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey held a lead late Tuesday over state Sen. Omar Fateh following the count of first-choice votes. Officials say counting will continue Wednesday and Thursday if necessary.
In St. Paul, though, second-choice ballots were tallied fairly quickly, delivering Kaohly Her a victory over the incumbent mayor she once worked for.
"My family came here as refugees. Never in their wildest dreams would I be standing here today accepting the position of mayor, mayor of the city that gave them the opportunity to live the American dream,” she told supporters early Wednesday morning. “I am doing this work for them, for you and for the future of this great city."
Following his loss, Carter told supporters that he’d called Her to congratulate the mayor-elect. “I told her that me and my team will be there to set her up for success, because this has never been about me,” he said, adding, “this has to be about the city.”
Beyond the mayoral race, St. Paul city voters overwhelmingly backed a $37 million operating levy for the St. Paul Public Schools, the state’s second largest district. District officials had said the levy was needed to avoid laying off staff and ending education programs.
They also OK’d an amendment to the city charter that would give the City Council power to issue administrative fines for ordinance violations. The council unanimously supported the measure but a petition stopped it from taking effect, leaving the question for voters to decide.
Duluth’s ‘Right to Repair’ ballot measure
Voters overwhelming approved a “Right to Repair” ballot measure in Duluth that will let renters pay for minor repairs and deduct the cost from their rent if landlords fail to respond in a timely manner.
Here's how it would work: A tenant would notify their landlord of a needed repair. Landlords would get two weeks to fix it. If they don't, the tenant could do the work themselves or hire someone to do it and deduct the cost from their next rent payment — up to $500 or a half month's rent, whichever is greater.
Advocates call it a common-sense approach that gives frustrated renters another tool to get simple repairs done in a timely manner.
Skeptics say the ballot measure duplicates renter protections already available through the city of Duluth and state statute, and it could put renters at legal or financial risk if they pay for repairs that are later disputed by their landlords.
Anoka-Hennepin School Board
Six candidates faced off over three seats this fall on the board of the state’s largest school district with money flooding into the races at levels that far outpaced normal spending for a down-ballot election.
With all precincts reporting, voters on Tuesday gave new terms to all three incumbents — Kacy Deschene, Matt Audette and Jeff Simon.
The district’s been at the center of growing political divisions seen in the state and nationally in the years during and since the COVID-19 pandemic. Its politically divided board has clashed over issues such as culturally responsive teaching and social emotional learning.
Twenty-one school districts statewide held regular elections this cycle.
Stearns County Board of Commissioners
Bob Johnson, a longtime St. Cloud nonprofit leader, won the special election for an open seat on the Stearns County Board of Commissioners. He defeated Amin Ali, a youth soccer coach, community advocate and housing program director.
Had he won, Ali would have been the state’s first Somali American county commissioner, according to the Association of Minnesota Counties.
Leigh Lenzmeier held the District 4 county commissioner seat for 34 years. He resigned in April, after his wife raised concerns about his cognitive decline.
Johnson, 76, was executive director of CentraCare's Heart and Vascular Center for 23 years. He also led the Paramount Center for the Arts in St. Cloud for nine years and served three terms on the St. Cloud City Council.
MPR News reporter Peter Cox contributed to this report.
