St. Paul Mayor-elect Kaohly Her will soon take the reins at City Hall, though she isn’t new to elected office.
Before running for mayor, Her — who’s first name is pronounced “kuh-LEE” — spent nearly six years representing a St. Paul district in the Minnesota House of Representatives that includes the Union Park, Macalester-Groveland and Summit-University neighborhoods.
She first won the seat in 2018 after now-Sen. Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, launched a campaign for governor.
After one term in office, Her rose to the third-highest-ranking position in the Minnesota House DFL Caucus — majority whip. She has also served as deputy speaker pro tempore, who presides over House debate in the absence of the speaker.
Rep. Kaohly Vang Her, DFL-St. Paul, wipes away tears as she speaks against a bill removing undocumented adult Minnesotans from MinnesotaCare during debate in House chambers at the Minnesota State Capitol building on Monday, June 9, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Part of the campaign message that got Her elected mayor was her call for more focus on the basics of governing and improving “core city services.” Her’s reputation for organization and thoroughness as a lawmaker may help her achieve that goal, former colleagues said.
Those who have worked with Her at the state Capitol describe St. Paul’s next mayor as a pragmatic lawmaker with a deep understanding of process and keen attention to detail.
“She’s extremely organized. She’s extremely thorough. She’s nuts and bolts, brass tacks, no detail left unturned,” said Rep. Dan Wolgamott, a St. Cloud DFLer who was elected to the Legislature the same year as Her.
Pension commission
Wolgamott served on the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement with Her, who chaired the panel before leaving the House this year.
The commission doesn’t just budget for the next two years like the rest of the Legislature, he explained. It must balance the concerns of various public employee retirement plans while planning for the decades ahead.
This year, the pensions commission advanced a bill that boosted pensions for teachers, firefighters and police, which passed with largely bipartisan support, and nearly unanimous support in the House.
Wolgamott said he got to know his former House colleague better during the pandemic, when the Legislature held votes and hearings remotely. Wolgamott, Her and then-House Speaker Melissa Hortman had to be present at the Capitol, and as whip, Her had to double- and triple-check that members joining sessions by phone were present for votes.
But past that, Her made sure members were taken care of during long floor sessions, which at times can drag on into the early morning hours, according to Wolgamott. Target snack runs and a family egg roll recipe were just some of the ways Her kept members comfortable, he said.
“I think why she’s so successful is she has very high standards for how she operates,” Wolgamott said. “But she also looks after people and makes sure that people are cared for and validated and supported.”
Ability to compromise
Rep. Tim O’Driscoll, R-Sartell, worked with Her when she was chair of the Legislative Commission on Pensions and this year as co-chairs of the House Commerce Committee. He praised his former colleague for her ability to compromise.
“I think that the folks in St. Paul could benefit from that experience that she has in being able to … come to an equitable and workable solution,” the eight-term Republican lawmaker said. “It may take a couple of times to get there, but she’s willing to work, and she’s willing to let people continue to work on things till we get to the right answer.”
Compromise was especially crucial in this year’s closely divided Legislature. Last year, voters delivered a House of Representatives with 67 DFL and 67 Republican members.
O’Driscoll, who has served on the pensions commission for most of his legislative career, said Her’s finance background was invaluable in piecing together bills shaping payouts and retirement ages for teachers, firefighters, police and other public employees.
A lot of the work done on pensions and commerce doesn’t get much new coverage at the Capitol, something O’Driscoll said might be a sign of their success as policymakers.
“We both have always kind of lived by the idea that if you don’t hear about what we did, we must have done our job right,” he said.
Commerce committee
Commerce is one of the more powerful committees in the Minnesota House. It covers a broad range of policy areas, including financial services, insurance, consumer protection, energy and telecommunications.
“There’s a lot of revenue that flows in there, there’s a lot of regulation that flows through there, and usually bills that come out of there take bipartisan support,” said Rich Ginsberg, a lobbyist with decades of experience at the Minnesota Capitol.
This year, for instance, the Commerce committee handled bills on legal cannabis regulation, and created a new position to handle disputes between owners and tenants and homeowners’ associations.
It also advanced a bill to provide more support to the state’s reinsurance program — a program state officials said helped prevent health insurance premiums from increasing by 47% more than they already did this year.
Bills on tenant rights, reporting lost or stolen firearms
Besides her leadership on pensions and commerce, Her backed bills including those supporting tenants’ rights and a proposal to create a reporting requirement for lost and stolen firearms.
The gun theft bill, which would have required a gun owner to report a stolen weapon to law enforcement within 48 hours, passed in the House in 2024 but did not make it through the Senate.
In 2020, the Legislature passed a bill authored by Her banning the practice of child marriage in Minnesota. The bill barred any minors from marrying in the state.
St. Paul Mayor-elect Kaohly Her announces transition team
St. Paul mayor’s race: What voters say about Kaohly Her’s victory
St. Paul Mayor-elect Kaohly Her on her new path at City Hall
Ginsberg, who also praised Her for her thoroughness and preparation, said she was a good lawmaker for lobbyists to approach if they wanted a well-crafted bill that would pass, so long as they could convince her to take it on.
“I really believe that her legislative record and how she operates will serve the city and constituents very well,” he said. “I just think it’s going to be a little bit of a different approach.”
