The balance of political power in Minneapolis and St. Paul will come down to voters' second picks.

The big picture: Progressives were poised to make gains in both cities, with initial results showing those contenders leading in contested races.

• Candidates endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America picked up at least two seats — one in Minneapolis and another in St. Paul.

Yes, but: Frontrunners in several decisive races failed to cross the 50% threshold last night to win outright under ranked-choice voting.

State of play: In Minneapolis, Aurin Chowdhury, a DFL- and DSA-endorsed candidate aligned with the progressive bloc, won the race to succeed swing vote Andrew Johnson in Ward 12, with 54% of first-choice votes.

• And Hwa Jeong Kim, the DFL/DSA-backed candidate running to replace retiring Council President Amy Brendmoen, carried St. Paul's Ward 5, with 52%.

Plus: Saura Jost, seen as the more progressive candidate in the race for St. Paul's open Ward 3, declared victory after securing 48% of the vote. Her chief rival, Isaac Russell, conceded overnight.

What we're watching: Razor-thin margins in two hotly contested Minneapolis council races, where wins could give progressive a narrow majority on some issues in front of the 13-member body.

• In Ward 8, progressive challenger Soren Stevenson, also endorsed by the DFL and DSA, led Council President Andrea Jenkins 45% to 43% — a margin of just 103 first-choice votes — last night. Both acknowledged the race is too close to call.
• And in open Ward 7, Katie Cashman and Scott Graham were locked in a dead heat, 48% to 48% after the first round. About 60 votes separated the two.
• Meanwhile, in Ward 6, incumbent Jamal Osman, a swing vote on the current council, led three challengers with 45% of the vote.

In St. Paul, races for two more open seats remained too close to call early Wednesday:

• Anika Bowie led with 40% in the eight-way contest for Ward 1, besting her closest competitor by 20 points.
• DFL-endorsed Cheniqua Johnson won 41% of first-choice votes in Ward 7, leading rival, Pa Der Vang, by 5 percentage points.

Between the lines: Crowded fields mean there may be many second-place votes to reallocate in both those races.

The intrigue: If all the leading St. Paul candidates go on to win, the city will elect an all-female council for the first time.

What's next: In Minneapolis, reallocation of votes from ballots that ranked the worst performing candidates first will begin at 9am.

• Ramsey County election officials won't complete and release St. Paul's second-round results until Friday.

While some city council races remained too close to call, voters in St. Paul overwhelmingly approved an additional 1% sales tax for roads and parks.

• About 60% of voters backed Question 1, which will generate an estimated $1 billion over the next 20 years. The increase will give the capital city the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Zoom out: Here's a look at the results of other closely watched contests on local ballots yesterday:

• Duluth Mayor Emily Larson lost in a landslide to Roger Reinert, a former DFL legislator and Duluth council member.
• Voters in Rochester, Bloomington and Golden Valley also approved local sales tax hikes, while Mounds View voted theirs down.
• Minnetonka voters opted to stick with ranked-choice voting.
• In St. Louis Park, Councilmember Nadia Mohamed made history as the first Somali American mayor elected in the state, and possibly in the nation.

Check back tomorrow for more results, including a closer look at the outcome of contested school board races.

🗳️ Former Minneapolis Council Member Don Samuels is reportedly preparing to announce another DFL primary run against U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar. (Jewish Insider)

• Flashback: Omar eked out a narrow victory over Samuels in 2022.

🕺🏿 Prince fans take note: An online auction taking bids through Nov. 16 features more than 8,000 items connected to the late singer, including clothing and film memorabilia. (KARE 11)

🎸 Country star Kenny Chesney will return to the Twin Cities next year, with a May 4 show at U.S. Bank Stadium.

• Tickets for the tour stop, which also features the Zac Brown Band, Megan Moroney, and Uncle Kracker, go on sale Nov. 17.

If you're headed to the Wolves game tonight, there are a lot more options for getting there than for most NBA arenas.

What's happening: WalkScore, a Redfin company that promotes walkable neighborhoods, measured how well NBA arenas are being served by public transportation.

• The company assigns a "usefulness" value to the nearby transit routes on frequency, type, and distance between stops.

Between the lines: NBA arenas tend to be built in much more urban, walkable, and transit-connected locations than NFL stadiums.

• Target Center is a block from a light rail station and is also served by several bus routes. But it competes against arenas like Madison Square Garden, which is on top of Penn Station, one of the busiest rail hubs in the country.

What to watch: Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, who are in the process of buying the Timberwolves and Lynx, want to build a new arena.

• If they eventually build elsewhere, they will find few locations in the Twin Cities that are more dense and served by transit.

Tell a Wolves fan

📅 Upcoming events around the city.

Meet at Mia: In Our Hands at Minneapolis Institute of Art tomorrow:

Experience Mia's new exhibition "In Our Hands: Native Photography, 1890 to Now" at a free party. Take a tour, see a film, make art, dance to music from DJ Bleak Roses and more. Cash bar and food truck onsite. No tickets required.

Hosting an event? Email [email protected].

Opening Night Party at the Walker Art Center on Friday:

Get tickets for the opening night of the Walker must-see fall exhibition. Celebrate with live music from Gully Boys, DJ sets from Transmission, specialty cocktails, art-making activities, and more.

Hosting an event? Email [email protected].

Como Zoo welcomed an adorable new addition to its giraffe herd Monday night.

• Staff are letting the yet-to-be-named baby bond with mom Zinnia before they confirm its gender, height, or weight, but the baby will likely make its public debut in the next few weeks, the zoo said.