This article will provide a recap of those races as we look to turn the page from election season to the buildup of the 2026 legislative session in St. Paul.

While the national storyline for the 2025 election results may have centered on Democratic wins, the most notable result in Minnesota did not involve partisan politics. Instead, the biggest surprise of the November 4 election was the Saint Paul mayoral race as current Minnesota State Rep. Kaohly Her (DFL-St. Paul) defeated two-term incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter. Her is the first woman and first Hmong American mayor in Saint Paul history. Saint Paul voters also resoundingly supported a ballot initiative providing the city authority to impose administrative sanctions, a tool many described as essential to ensuring public safety and holding out-of-state property owners accountable.

Rep. Her has been serving as the DFL Chair of the House Commerce Committee this biennium and has been a strong supporter of AASPMN’s legislative efforts and will be sorely missed in the state House. 

Across the river, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey won his bid for a third term, narrowly beating his closest opponent, current state Sen. Omar Fateh (DFL-Minneapolis), after a second round of tabulation in the election that used ranked choice voting. In the Minneapolis City Council races, all but one incumbent held on to their seat with all 13 wards up for election. In Ward 7, Elizabeth Shaffer unseated incumbent Katie Cashman in what was the city council’s most expensive race. The new member in Ward 5, Pearl Warren, will take the seat vacated by Jeremiah Ellison. Soren Stevenson in Ward 8 and Jamison Whiting in Ward 11 are also new members, filling the vacated seats of Andrea Jenkins (W8) and Emily Koski (W11).

The November 4 election also included special elections for two seats in the Minnesota Senate to replace outgoing members Senator Anderson and Senator Mitchell. There were no major surprises or upsets with these races, each incumbent party held onto their seat and so Democrats will retain their 34-33 majority in the state Senate. Current state Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jager (DFL-Woodbury) defeated Republican candidate Dwight Dorau in District 47 and Republican Michael Holmstrom defeated DFL candidate Louis McNutt in District 29.

Political Updates

• Additional Upcoming Special Elections – With two  sitting state representatives winning elections for higher office last week – Rep. Her as Mayor of Saint Paul and Rep. Hemmingsen-Jager as the newest member of the Minnesota Senate – two seats in Minnesota House of Representatives will require a special election prior to the 2026 legislative session. Gov. Walz is expected to issue a writ later this month and it is anticipated that the primaries for these seats will be held December 16, 2025 and the special elections on January 27, 2026. 

• Sen. Pappas Announces Retirement – One of Minnesota’s longest serving legislators, state Sen. Sandy Pappas (DFL-Saint Paul) announced that she will not run for re-election in 2026. Pappas has served 42 years in the Minnesota Legislature having been first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1984 before being elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1990. Sen. Pappas is the former Senate President and currently chairs the Senate Capital Investment Committee. 

• Demuth Announces Running Mate – Just a week after announcing her candidacy for governor, Speaker of the House Rep. Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) announced Ryan Wilson as her running mate. Wilson ran for State Auditor in 2022, losing to Julie Blaha by only 0.4 percent of the vote. He is a former small business owner and has also served as an attorney for the Minnesota Republican Party. 

• Patrick Knight Enters Governor’s Race – Patrick Knight, current CEO of snack food company, Waymouth Foods, joins a growing field of Republican candidates for governor. Knight, a Minnesota Native and retired Marine, attended law school at Georgetown University 

and received his MBA from Harvard University.