Minnesota voters to pick nominees in high‑stakes Senate primaries
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Voters in two open Minnesota state Senate districts head to the polls Tuesday for consequential primary elections.
Why it matters: The winners advance to a November special election that will determine which party controls the narrowly divided chamber next year.
How we got here: The Woodbury-based Senate District 47, which also includes parts of Maplewood, is up for grabs following DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell's resignation after her felony burglary conviction this summer.
- Senate District 29, which covers much of Wright County and parts of Hennepin and Meeker counties, became vacant following the late July death of longtime GOP Sen. Bruce Anderson.
State of play: The session ended in May with Democrats holding a 34-33 majority in the Senate and the House locked in a rare tie.
Reality check: Neither open Senate seat is considered a true swing district.
- But the high stakes could attract serious attention and spending heading into November, especially in the more competitive Woodbury district.
Zoom in: Mitchell won her first term in that seat with 58% of the vote in 2022.
- But some strategists have argued that the political fallout from her high-profile criminal case, combined with the opportunity to flip the chamber in a low-turnout special election, could create an opening for Republicans.
Senate District 29, meanwhile, is considered safe for Republicans: Anderson carried it with almost 70% of the vote in his last reelection.
Who's running: In Woodbury, state Reps. Ethan Cha and Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger are going head-to-head in a DFL primary. Hemmingsen-Jaeger won the DFL endorsement.
- Republican Dwight Dorau, who also sought the Senate seat in 2022, is running unopposed on his side.
Three Republicans — Rachel Davis, Michael Holmstrom Jr. and Bradley Kurtz — are running to succeed Anderson.
- Holmstrom, a small business owner and GOP volunteer from Buffalo, is the Republican Party's endorsed candidate.
Democrat Louis McNutt didn't draw a challenger for the DFL primary in Wright County.
What's next: Polls are open 7am to 8pm Tuesday. Winners will appear on Nov. 4 ballots in both districts.
What we're watching: More special elections are on the horizon. Voters in a Brooklyn Park district return to the polls on Sept. 12 to select a successor to slain former Speaker Melissa Hortman.
- And a win by Cha or Hemmingsen-Jaeger in Woodbury this November would trigger yet another vacancy that would need to be filled before lawmakers return in February.