Democratic-Farmer-Labor primary voters in St. Paul’s House District 64A on Tuesday picked Meg Luger-Nikolai as the candidate who will advance to the January special election.
Luger-Nikolai, a labor lawyer who had the DFL endorsement, had nearly 30% of the vote in a six-candidate contest, according to unofficial results late Tuesday night. Progressive organizer Dan McGrath was the runner-up, with 27% of the vote.
One Republican candidate filed to run in District 64A, ruling out the need for a primary.
Meanwhile, Shelley Buck won the Democratic-Farmer-Labor special primary for Woodbury and Maplewood’s House District 47A. Buck had about 88% of the vote in a three-way race, according to unofficial results.
No Republicans filed to run in District 47A.
Undated courtesy photo, circa December 2025, of Meg Luger-Nikolai, a Democratic candidate in the special primary election for House District 64A on Dec. 16, 2025. The election is to replace Kaohly Her, who vacated her House 64A seat after being elected mayor of St. Paul in November 2025. (Courtesy of the candidate)
Buck is the former president of the Prairie Island Tribal Council and director of a Dakota-led nonprofit organization working to restore land around St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, known as Owámniyomni in the Dakota language. She had the DFL endorsement.
Winners of Tuesday’s pair of DFL special primary elections for two vacant House seats advance to the Jan. 27 special general election. No Republican primary was required in either House district.
Prairie Island Indian Community President Shelley Buck speaks at the Treasure Island Center ribbon cutting in St. Paul on Jan. 16, 2018. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Districts 47A and 64A have been vacant since their former representatives won election to new offices in November.
Rep. Kaohly Her, DFL-St. Paul, was elected St. Paul’s next mayor, and Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger, DFL-Woodbury, won a special election for Senate District 47, the seat Nicole Mitchell resigned from after her burglary conviction.
Both districts strongly favor Democratic candidates. Six DFLers sought their party’s nomination in St. Paul’s District 64A, which includes the Union Park, Macalester-Groveland and Summit-University neighborhoods.
Besides Luger-Nikolai and McGrath, 64A candidates included:
• Beth Fraser, a former Minnesota deputy secretary of state.
• Matt Hill, an aide on the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners.
• Dan McGrath, a longtime progressive organizer.
• Lois Quam, a health care executive who helped implement MinnesotaCare.
• John Zwier, an assistant state attorney general under Attorney General Keith Ellison
Luger-Nikolai will face the sole Republican candidate, business owner Dan Walsh, in January.
DFLers dominate elections in St. Paul. Her won four consecutive two-year terms with more than 80% of the vote.
Three candidates sought the DFL nomination in House District 47A, which includes parts of the city of Woodbury and southern Maplewood.
Since no Republican filed paperwork to run in the district, Tuesday’s primary likely determines the winner of the January special general election.
Buck competed with David Azcona and Juli Servatius for the DFL nod.
The House currently has 67 Republican members and 65 DFL members, though barring a significant, unprecedented upset, January’s special elections are likely to return the chamber to a 67-67 tie, which voters delivered in the 2024 election.
The Minnesota Legislature is scheduled to reconvene on Feb. 17.
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