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Rochester voters will see a long list of candidates on the city's mayoral primary ballot on Tuesday. 

Eight candidates are running for Rochester's top office. They include a prominent catering business owner, the president of the local NAACP chapter, and a former school board member. 

The race attracted all these candidates after two-term mayor Kim Norton 

Whoever wins the election in November will have the task of guiding Rochester through tremendous change. 

The city is in the second decade of Destination Medical Center, a 20-year, $5.6 billion dollar economic redevelopment plan meant to make Rochester more attractive to visitors and to entice people to move here. 

Mayo Clinic is also building a new $5 billion hospital downtown. Construction on the new facility is slated to be done by the end of the decade as well. 

That and other construction projects have disrupted traffic throughout downtown. It’s created hassles for pedestrians, visitors and businesses alike. At least 

 says it’s shuttering due to the ongoing construction. 

The two candidates who get the most votes in Tuesday's wide open primary will face off against each other in November. Candidates on the ballot Tuesday include:

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Election 2026 

Catharine Richert

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Eight candidates are running after two-term Mayor Kim Norton announced she wasn’t running again.

Wide open race to be Rochester’s next mayor draws 8 primary candidates

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