St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter faces four challengers as he runs for his third term in office: A state lawmaker, an engineer, a scientist and a local business owner.
Candidates had until Aug. 12 to file paperwork to run, and there won’t be a primary. Election Day is Nov. 4.
Mayoral elections are nonpartisan, though they often draw strong party interest. This year will be a little different, however: the St. Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is not making any endorsements in the race as it works to rebuild itself.
This will be the last year a mayoral election happens in an odd-numbered year in St. Paul. In 2024, voters approved a measure to shift the election to even-numbered years when other major contests are on the ballot.
The mayor is typically elected to a four-year term. But because of the change, the next election will be in 2028. The winner of this year’s election will only serve a three-year term.
Under St. Paul’s ranked-choice voting system, voters can rank candidates in order of preference.
Here’s who is officially running:
Melvin Carter
Carter was first elected mayor in 2017 and won reelection to another four-year term in 2021. He announced he’d run for a third term in January.
During his tenure, Cater has pursued a progressive agenda that has included medical debt forgiveness, college savings accounts for newborns, and a new sales tax to fund roads and parks.
Carter has faced growing challenges in recent years. While homicides and carjackings have fallen since peaking during the pandemic, public safety challenges remain, especially along the Green Line light rail corridor on University Avenue.
Carter also has faced pushback from other local leaders. He clashed with the city council over the 2025 budget, and a difficult year could be ahead amid declining downtown property values and federal funding cuts.
Yan Chen
Yan Chen (Courtesy of the candidate)
Yan Chen is a biophysicist at the University of Minnesota who ran for St. Paul City Council Ward 1 in 2023.
On her campaign website, Chen argues that the city is not doing enough to manage growing operational costs and instead raises property taxes at an unsustainable rate.
“If this continues, residents and businesses will leave, our tax base will shrink, and our city will lose its vibrancy,” she said.
Chen is also a critic of Carter’s endorsement of the 2021 rent control referendum and handling of the city’s garbage contract.
In a 2023 questionnaire with the St. Paul Pioneer Press, when she ran for City Council, Chen said she wanted to strengthen city services and stabilize the budget, and then move to address affordable housing.
In addition to being a scientist, Chen is a landlord. She owns five single-family rental homes in St. Paul.
Adam Dullinger
Adam Dullinger (Courtesy of the Candidate)
North End resident and mechanical engineer Adam Dullinger is the most recent candidate to enter the race.
Dullinger appeared at an April St. Paul City Council meeting to speak against exemptions in the city’s rent control ordinance, but said that issue isn’t the reason he decided to run.
Instead, Dullinger said he wants the city to focus on managing everyday problems like infrastructure maintenance — an area where he says his engineering background would give him an edge.
The political newcomer also said the city should do more to improve the affordability of housing, transportation and food. One way to improve affordability and food access could be municipal grocery stores, he said.
Dullinger also wants the city to continue developing its bicycle infrastructure to reduce road congestion, improve air quality and combat climate change.
Kaohly Her
State Rep. Kaohly Her entered the race earlier this month. The fourth-term St. Paul DFL legislator is the mayor’s most politically prominent challenger.
Rep. Kaohly Her (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Her said she decided to enter the race because she felt there hadn’t been enough debate on issues facing the city — whether it be rising property taxes, public safety and development challenges in districts like downtown.
“I hadn’t seen any engagement with voters in this mayoral race,” she said in an Aug. 4 interview. “It is important for us to vigorously debate the issues and the solutions in front of us, so that voters have a choice.”
Her, who used to work for the mayor, said she supports Carter’s progressive polices like medical debt forgiveness, but doesn’t think it’s a city’s job to provide them. Instead, St. Paul should focus on fundamental services, she said.
Mike Hilborn
Mike Hilborn (Courtesy of Excalibur Portraits / minnesotaheadshots.com)
Mike Hilborn runs a power washing, snowplowing and Christmas tree lighting business and ran as a Republican for downtown St. Paul’s state House district in 2024.
In a biography on his campaign website, he describes himself as “a father, an entrepreneur, a second-chance employer.” The company he started 30 years ago is headquartered on West Seventh Street.
Hilborn’s stated priorities include lowering taxes and promoting law and order. Earlier this year, his website said he would double the size of the St. Paul Police Department while cutting property taxes by 50%
Hilborn, who works with nonprofits that provide work opportunities for the disabled and people getting out of prison, wants to combat homelessness by expanding access to shelter and addressing root causes like addiction and mental health challenges, according to his website.
Leave a Reply