Rep. Kaohly Her, DFL-St. Paul, has announced her bid for St. Paul mayor.
Her, was serves as speaker pro tempore of the Minnesota House and is the co-chair of the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee, had previously explored a run.
The filing period runs July 29 through Aug. 12, and Carter announced in January every intention of running again.
Declared candidates include Yan Chen, a Democrat and biophysicist, and Mike Hilborn, a Republican business owner who runs a power-washing, Christmas tree lighting and snowplowing company. The St. Paul DFL, which is in the process of reconstituting itself, has opted not to endorse in the ranked-choice election, which is nonpartisan but typically draws strong party interest.
As part of her announced Her released this statement: “We need a mayor who is ready to step up, engage with the community, and provide focused leadership that will move our city forward. My story is the story of the American Dream — but for many, that dream is no longer attainable.”
She noted she was born in a bamboo hut in Laos and arrived in the U.S. with her family as refugees.
“My parents had working-class jobs that paid enough to buy a home, give us a high-quality education, and break the poverty cycle in one generation. Everyone deserves that chance … We need leadership that meets this challenging time. We must expect more from our leaders to deal with the cruelty and volatility of Trump’s tariffs, immigration policies, and cuts at the federal level that threaten the livelihood of our community.”
She was first elected to the state House of Representatives representing District 64A — which covers Union Park and Summit-University neighborhoods — in 2018 and won a fourth term in 2024.
Voters will rank candidates in order of preference, and there will be no political primary to pare the field. Also appearing on the Nov. 4 ballot are questions about a St. Paul Public Schools levy and whether to empower the St. Paul City Council to impose administrative citations, or noncriminal fines.
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