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 early Wednesday when she became the first woman and person of Hmong descent to be elected mayor of the city of St. Paul.

She defeated two-term Mayor Melvin Carter, a fellow Democrat, in a ranked-choice election.

Her, 52, has been a state House member representing part of St. Paul since 2019. Her district covers the Summit Hill, Macalester-Groveland and Merriam Park neighborhoods. 

She has concentrated on issues related to tenant protections and strengthening the pensions for state workers. 

Last legislative session, Her was co-chair of the House Commerce, Finance and Policy Committee and also sat on the House Taxes Committee.

Prior to seeking office of her own, she served as Mayor Melvin Carter’s policy director during his first term in office. Before that, she’d held other roles in government, including being the administrator for the St. Paul School Board and as a member of the city’s human rights commission.

Her’s campaign was focused on several key issues, among them making the city more business friendly, encouraging economic development — especially in the Midway and downtown neighborhoods — increasing housing options and cutting down on crime.

“We need to ensure public safety goes beyond violent crime and includes giving people the services they need to address addiction and mental health in a meaningful way,” Her said in her victory speech early Wednesday.

Her also says the city should be more proactive in giving citizens information and tools as President Donald Trump has ramped up federal immigration enforcement.

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She is an immigrant and refugee who was born in a bamboo hut in the mountains of Laos. When she was three, her family fled to the U.S. as refugees, living in Illinois and Appleton, Wis., before coming to Minnesota.

The Twin Cities has the largest Hmong population out of any U.S. metropolitan area, according to 

For 50 years, Hmong immigrants and their children have shaped Minnesota culture

She studied finance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and then got her masters of business administration at Northeastern University.

Her started her career in finance, according to her LinkedIn profile, working for American Express and other financial services firms for 15 years before getting involved in community organizing work.

In 2016, Her and two friends founded the state’s 

first Hmong political action committee, Maiv-PAC

, to help the community’s political clout. She also served as the executive director of Hnub Tshiab, an organization advocating for Hmong women.

She is married to Kong Her and the couple has two adult daughters.

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Kaohly Her, 52, has been a state House member representing part of St. Paul since 2019. She is an immigrant and refugee who was born in a bamboo hut in the mountains of Laos. 

Kerem Yücel | MPR News

State house DFL candidate Ethan Cha, left, poses for a photo

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