Dec 16, 2025 - Politics

St. Paul, Woodbury to vote in primaries for open House seats

Torey Van Oot

Illustration of the Minnesota State Capitol with lines radiating from it. — Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

Voters in parts of St. Paul and Woodbury head to the polls Tuesday for primaries in a pair of open state House seats.

Why it matters: Both districts are considered safe for Democrats, so the winners of Tuesday's DFL contests are expected to fill the seats in January's special elections.

State of play: Six Democrats are running to succeed Rep. Kaohly Her, who stepped down following her election as St. Paul mayor, in House District 64A.

Meg Luger-Nikolai, an attorney for Education Minnesota, won the DFL endorsement for the seat, which covers neighborhoods such as Summit Hill, Mac Groveland and Union Park.
The other DFL candidates are Beth Fraser, John Zwier, Matt Hill, Dan McGrath and Lois Quam.
Republican Dan Walsh is running unopposed for his party's nomination.

The race for Woodbury's House District 47A, which opened up after DFL Rep. Amanda Hemmngsen-Jager won a vacant Senate seat last month, attracted three Democrats.

Democrat Shelley Buck, a nonprofit executive and Prairie Island Indian Community member who is backed by Emily's List, is seen as the front-runner. DFLers David Azcona and Juli Servatius are also running.
No Republicans filed for the seat.

What's next: Polls are open 7am-8pm.

See the full candidate lists and more info

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St. Paul, Woodbury to vote in primaries for open House seats

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