Two primary elections took place in the Twin Cities metro on Tuesday — a special primary for the seat of late state Rep. Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, and a primary for White Bear Lake mayor.
Polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, and former Brooklyn Park City Council member Xp Lee had 59% of the vote in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor primary for House District 34B. All precincts were reporting before 9 p.m.
As of 9 p.m., it wasn’t yet clear who had prevailed in the White Bear Lake mayoral primary.
House District 34B
Three DFL candidates competed for their party’s nomination in the primary election for House District 34B, a district that includes Brooklyn Center as well as parts of Champlin and Coon Rapids.
District 34B has been vacant since June after the assassination of Hortman, the former House speaker, and her husband, Mark, inside their Brooklyn Park home.
Lee, Erickson Saye and Christian Eriksen appeared on the ballot.
Lee will face Republican Ruth Bittner in the special election on Sept. 16.
The House is currently split 67-66 with the Republicans at a one-seat advantage. If a DFLer wins Hortman’s former seat, the House will return to a 67-67 tie.
White Bear Lake mayor
Three candidates are competing to replace White Bear Lake Mayor Dan Louismet, who won office in 2021 and is not running for reelection.
White Bear Lake’s mayor is a nonpartisan position. The purpose of the primary is to narrow the field to two candidates, who will face each other in the general election on Nov. 5.
Candidates in the White Bear Lake race include Mary Nicklawske, Matthew Schoenthaler and Stephen Laliberte.
More special primaries ahead
More special primaries are scheduled later this month: on Aug. 26, Senate District 47, which centers around Woodbury, and Senate District 29, which is northwest of Minneapolis and includes parts of Wright, Meeker and Hennepin counties.
The District 47 seat became vacant last month after the burglary conviction of Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, and the District 26 seat was vacant after the unexpected death of Sen. Bruce Anderson, R-Buffalo.
District 47 will likely see a DFL primary between state Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger, DFL-Woodbury, and state Rep. Ethan Cha, DFL-Woodbury. Only one Republican has filed to run so far: Dwight Dourau, meaning there will be no contest for the nomination.
Meanwhile, District 29 is likely to see a GOP primary. Republicans Rachel Davis, Michael Holmstrom Jr. and Bradley Kurtz have filed to run. Only one DFLer has filed to run so far, according to the Minnesota secretary of state: Louis McNutt.
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