A special primary election on Tuesday will determine the Democratic-Farmer-Labor nominee for the state Senate seat left vacant by the resignation of Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Wodbury, who was convicted on felony burglary charges in July.
Vying for the DFL nod in Senate District 47 are two sitting state representatives: Rep. Ethan Cha, DFL-Woodbury, and Amanda Hemmingsen Jaeger, DFL-Woodbury. Hemmingsen Jaeger won the District 47 DFL endorsement at the Aug. 12 convention.
Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger (Courtesy of the candidate)
The winner of the primary will face Republican Dwight Dorau in a Nov. 4 special election. District 47 includes the city of Woodbury in Washington County and the southern part of the city of Maplewood in Ramsey County.
The special election’s outcome could change the balance of power in the Minnesota Senate, where the DFL has a one-seat majority.
Woodbury has favored DFLers in recent elections, though many expect Republicans to invest in the race as victory would flip control of the Senate. Democrats have controlled the chamber since the 2022 election.
Rep. Ethan Cha. (Courtesy of the Minnesota House of Representatives)
The circumstances leading to the vacancy — Mitchell’s criminal conviction and unwillingness to resign even as she was stripped of committee assignments and DFL caucus involvement — could prove a potent message for Republicans, former lawmakers from the area have said.
Still, it would be a steep climb for the GOP as the east metro suburbs have become bluer.
Mitchell, a DFLer, won election to the Senate with nearly 59% of the vote in 2022. Hemmingsen-Jaeger won House District 47A, which falls in the Senate district, with more than 60% of the vote in 2024 and 2022.
Dorau, a retired Air Force commander, ran against Cha in the 2024 election for House District 47B and lost by nearly 9 percentage points.
Both DFL candidates’ House districts fall within the Senate district. Each are in their second terms in office, Hemmingsen-Jaeger won reelection last year with 61% of the vote and Cha with 54%.
Senate District 29 election
Mitchell’s former district isn’t the only pending special election for state Senate. Republican Sen. Bruce Anderson of Buffalo died unexpectedly in July, leaving a vacancy in the District 29 seat.
On Tuesday, primary voters will pick one of three candidates for the GOP nomination: Rachel Davis, Michael Holmstrom Jr. and Bradley Kurtz.
The winner will face sole DFL candidate Louis McNutt in a Nov. 4 special election for Senate District 29, which includes most of Wright County, and parts of Meeker and Hennepin counties.
District 29 heavily favors Republicans and is not seen by political observers as an especially competitive race.
Record year for special elections
The special primaries come amid a record year for special elections in the Minnesota Legislature. Gov. Tim Walz has called six total.
Vacancies due to deaths, criminal cases and a candidate residency dispute have led to the unusual number of off-year elections.
Absentee voting started on Aug. 18. Polling places are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
More information on polling places can be found on the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website: pollfinder.sos.mn.gov.
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