In the previous legislature, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) leveraged their existing trifecta to enact significant legislative reforms, including paid family leave, universal free school meals, a progressive child tax credit, increased sales and gas taxes for housing and transportation respectively, codified abortion rights, established a commission to redesign the state flag, and eliminated public university tuition for families earning under $85,000. The slim majorities held by the DFL were maintained by narrow victories in key battleground districts. They won control of the chamber following the 2018 election and are entering this cycle with a majority of 5 seats. [2]
The DFL lost 3 seats in Greater Minnesota to the Republicans, resulting in a tie with both parties winning 67 seats.[3] Two seats, in Saint Cloud and Shakopee, were won by the DFL within the 0.5% margin eligible for a state-funded recount which can be requested after results are certified by the state Canvassing board on November 21.[4]
A primary election was held in 19 districts to nominate Republican and DFL candidates. 15 Republican nominations and 7 DFL nominations were contested. Eight incumbents faced challenges for their party's nomination, with Brian Johnson (R-Cambridge), being the only incumbent who lost their party's nomination.[22]
Major Minnesota news outlets published lists of House districts that were expected to be competitive in 2024 based on past results and campaign spending. The Minnesota Star Tribune considered 15 races competitive, MPR News listed 14 as districts to watch, MinnPost and the Minnesota Reformer both cited 16 districts.[33][34][35][36]
District 1A is located in the northwest corner of the state and includes all or portions of Kittson, Marshall, Pennington, and Roseau counties. The incumbent is Republican John Burkel, who was first elected in 2020. He was re-elected in 2022 with 76.26% of the vote.
District 1B is located in northwestern Minnesota and includes East Grand Forks, Crookston, and Red Lake Falls. The incumbent is Republican Debra Kiel, who was first elected in 2010. She was re-elected in 2022 with 71.13% of the vote. Kiel announced that she was retiring at the end of the term and would not be seeking re-election. Republican Steve Gander won with 67% of the vote.
2A is located in northwestern Minnesota, stretching as far south as Bemidji and as far north as the Northwest Angle. Incumbent Matt Grossell (R) won in 2022 with 54.35% of the vote. Grossell is not seeking re-election.[40] Republican Bidal Duran Jr won with about 52% of votes cast.
District 2B is in north-central Minnesota, including the towns of Bagley and Mahnomen.[43] Incumbent Matt Bliss (R), first elected in 2016, won in 2022 with 63.46% of the vote.[44]
Incumbent Roger Skraba (R) was first elected in 2022, when he won by a 15-vote margin, earning 49.98% of votes.[44] District 3A is located in northeastern Minnesota, covering large portions of the Iron Range and the northern Arrowhead Region. Cities in the district include International Falls, Ely, Silver Bay, and Grand Marais. It is the largest house district by area.[45]
Incumbent Natalie Zeleznikar (R) was first elected in 2022, winning by 33 votes (50.01%) and ousted longtime DFL Rep. Mary Murphy.[44] District 3B contains the suburbs and townships around Duluth including Two Harbors, Hermantown and Rice Lake.[47] Voters in the district opted for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election and Walz in 2022.[48]
Mark Munger, a former Proctor city attorney and a retired judge for the Sixth Judicial District, is her DFL opponent. Munger also owns a publishing company, the Cloquet River Press, and has authored 14 books, according to his publishing website.[48] Munger’s years on the bench and past judicial decisions have come under some scrutiny from right-wing organizations.[49]
District 4B is located in northwestern Minnesota, surrounding the city of Moorhead and including Glyndon and Detroit Lakes.[57] Incumbent Jim Joy (R) won 62.88% of the vote in 2022.[44]
District 5A is located in north central Minnesota. The largest city in 5A is Park Rapids.[59] Incumbent Krista Knudsen (R) was first elected in 2022 with 70.49% of the vote.
The district is located in central Minnesota and covers all of Todd County plus portions of Morrison, Cass, and Wadena counties. Republican Mike Wiener was first elected in 2022 with 75.36% of the vote.
District 6A, located in north central Minnesota, stretches from Grand Rapids to Garrison.[64] Incumbent Ben Davis (R) was first elected in 2022 with 62.30% of the vote.
District 7B is located in the northeastern Iron Range of Minnesota, and includes the cities of Virginia, Chisholm, Eveleth, and other rural townships in St. Louis County. The incumbent is DFLer Dave Lislegard, who was first elected in 2018. He was re-elected most recently in 2022 with 51.10% of the vote. He decided to not run for re-election.[68] Voters in 7B voted for President Donald Trump in 2020 and for Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen in 2022. This is among the last DFL seats in northeast Minnesota, which has become increasingly Republican in the Trump years, and gives Republicans their best chance of a flip.[48]
DFL candidate Lorrie Janatopoulos, who worked in Tim Walz’sDepartment of Employment and Economic Development, states on her campaign website that she’s “pro-labor, pro-mining, pro-freedom.”[69] She won a Bush Foundation fellowship in 2016, and the Bush Foundation states Janatopoulos was an LGBTQ activist on the Iron Range.
Republican candidate Cal Warwas, an Iron Range native, works at the U.S. Steel’s Minntac mine in Mountain Iron.[70] He serves in local government for Clinton Township and was the endorsed GOP candidate against Matt Matasich (R). In a press release announcing his candidacy, Warwas said one of his top priorities will be mining policy.
District 8A covers southern Duluth. Incumbent Liz Olson (DFL) is not seeking re-election.[6] DFL-endorsed Peter Johnson won the DFL primary against Jordon Johnson.
District 8B covers the southwestern portion of Duluth. Incumbent Alicia Kozlowski (DFL) was first elected in 2022 with 70% of the vote.[6] She will face Republican Shawn Savela in the general election.
District 11A is located in Northeast Minnesota, just south of Duluth.[76]
In September, the Minnesota Star Tribune released a report detailing domestic abuse allegations against incumbent Jeff Dotseth (R), spurring calls from DFL leaders for Dotseth to end his re-election campaign.[77]
First-term representative Bernie Perryman won the 2022 election over her DFL opponent by 199 votes. Perryman is a small business owner and chair of the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce. She was also a regional vice president for Anheuser-Busch for 20 years.[84]
Abdi Daisane, a Somali American business owner, is the DFL challenger. Daisane moved to St. Cloud in 2013 to attend St. Cloud State University.[85] His priorities, according to his campaign website, include supporting affordable housing, increasing funding for the state’s child care centers and advocating for climate justice.[86]
District 14B represents the other half of St. Cloud as well as part of Sauk Rapids. The district voted for Biden in 2020 and Walz in 2022. Dan Wolgamott (DFL) won his 2022 race by 540 votes.[48] The three-term legislator is running for reelection. Last year, Wolgamott pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DWI charge after he was suspected of drinking alcohol in the parking lot of a liquor store.[90]
GOP challenger Sue Ek says on her campaign site that her priorities include lower taxes, support for law enforcement and protecting “parents’ rights to school choice, including homeschooling.” Ek ran for a St. Cloud House seat during a special election in 2005, but the state Supreme Court removed her from the ballot after agreeing with a lower court that she didn’t live in St. Cloud long enough to meet the state’s residency requirements.[91]
District 18 includes parts of Mankato and the cities of North Mankato and Kasota. Incumbent representative Jeff Brand (DFL) is running for re-election. Brand was previously a St. Peter City Council member and board member of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities.
Erica Schwartz is the GOP-endorsed candidate. Schwartz lives in Nicollet, where she works at a local convenience store owned by her husband, according to her campaign site.[101] She states her top issues include ensuring students have access to quality education, combating inflation and bolstering Minnesota’s law enforcement. According to the Minnesota Reformer, Schwartz was heard in a side conversation after a fundraiser saying that Democratic are leading the U.S. towards another Holocaust. She apologized for the comment.[102]
District 19A is in and around Faribault in southern Minnesota.[104] Incumbent Brian Daniels (R), who won with 64.9% of votes in 2022, is not seeking re-election.[16]
District 19B is located in and around Owatonna in southern Minnesota. Incumbent John Petersburg (R), who won 70% of votes in 2022, is not seeking re-election.[17]
District 26A includes the liberal-leaning college town of Winona, and more right-leaning towns like Goodview, Stockton, and surrounding townships. The district is seen as a potential flip for Republicans.[121] Longtime representative Gene Pelowski (DFL) is not seeking re-election after his 19th term.[7] The local DFL party did not endorse a candidate. Sarah Kruger, the chief of staff for FairVote Minnesota, defeated Dwayne Voegeli, a high school social studies teacher and chair of the Winona County Board of Commissioners.[48] Both DFL candidates support abortion access, unlike Pelowski, one of the last anti-abortion DFL elected officials.[121]
The Republican candidate is Aaron Repinski, who owns and operates the Winona Tour Boat Company. Repinski is also a Winona City Council member, and on his campaign site he states his top issues are improving education, the economy and public safety.[122]
District 26B is located in the southeast corner of the state and includes the cities of La Crescent, Chatfield, Caledonia, Spring Valley and Rushford. Long-time incumbent representative Greg Davids (R) is running for re-election; he narrowly won his primary after having lost the Republican Party's endorsement to newcomer Gary Steuart.
District 28A includes parts of North Branch, Cambridge, and Isanti in eastern Minnesota. Incumbent representative Brian Johnson (R) lost the Republican primary to Isanti mayor Jimmy Gordon, who won the GOP endorsement.
District 30A is located in the northwestern metro and includes the cities of St. Michael, Otsego, and Albertville, and parts of Hennepin and Wright counties.[131][132] Incumbent Walter Hudson (R) is running for re-election.
District 31B is in the northern Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Andover and East Bethel and parts of Anoka and Isanti counties. Incumbent Peggy Scott (R) is running for re-election.
District 32A, in the northern metro, includes the city of Blaine and parts of Anoka County.[138][139] Incumbent Nolan West (R) is running for re-election.
District 32B includes the cities of Blaine and Lexington. Freshman representative Matt Norris (DFL) is running for reelection. Norris won his 2022 race by 413 votes.[140] The traditionally white working class district has steadily gained more people of color, which could swing the district more blue. Norris is vice chair of the House Taxes Committee.[48]
Norris’ Republican challenger Alex Moe ran for the state Senate in 2022 in Duluth. Moe worked in the Anoka County courts system and his campaign site includes many right-wing culture war issues. Moe claimed, for instance, that in the Anoka-Hennepin School District, “teachers are also being forced to use specific gender pronouns and names for students without parental knowledge.”[141]
District 33B is in the easternmost part of the Twin Cities metro along the border with Wisconsin. It contains Stillwater, Bayport, Scandia, and Oak Park Heights.
District 34A includes Rogers, Dayton and Champlin. Incumbent Danny Nadeau won in 2022 by a significant margin, but a strong performance for Biden could oust him. Nadeau is a contract manager with Hennepin County, and on his campaign website he states that his small construction company went under in part because of labor unions.[143]
Nadeau’s DFL challenger is again Brian Raines, who lost to Nadeau by about seven percentage points in 2022. Raines works for the state’s carpenters union. On his campaign site he says he wants to suspend the state’s gas tax, invest more in affordable health care and expand the state’s pre-kindergarten programs.[144]
District 34B is in the north metro, mostly in Brooklyn Park, with pieces of Coon Rapids and Champlin. Incumbent Melissa Hortman (DFL) was first elected in 2010 and has served as Speaker of the Minnesota House since 2019.
District 35A includes Anoka and Coon Rapids. Incumbent Zack Stephenson (DFL) is running for reelection after winning his 2022 race by about five percentage points. Stephenson, who chairs the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee, is a prosecutor for Hennepin County.[48]
Josh Jungling is the Republican challenger. Jungling is the charitable gambling manager for the Anoka Ramsey Athletic Association, and he states on his campaign site that his top issues include lowering taxes, supporting law enforcement and protecting senior citizens.[145]
District 35B is in the northwest metro and includes Coon Rapids and Andover. Incumbent Jerry Newton (DFL) is retiring.[6] DFL candidate Kari Rehrauer is a member of the Coon Rapids City Council and a teacher.[48]
The Republican candidate is Steve Pape, who is the president and CEO of an engineering consulting firm. Pape is a Navy veteran.[146]
District 36A is in the north metro and includes North Oaks, Lino Lakes and Circle Pines. Incumbent Elliott Engen (R), who is running for reelection, previously worked for a nonprofit environmental organization and he’s one of the state’s youngest legislators.[48]
His DFL challenger is Janelle Calhoun, previously an executive director for a cancer research nonprofit.[48]
District 37A is located in the northwestern part of Hennepin County. Incumbent Kristin Robbins (R) was first elected in 2018 and took 56.11% of the vote in 2022.
District 38A is located in the northeast metro area and includes the cities of Brooklyn Park and Osseo. The district is characterized by a diverse demographic breakdown: 38% White, 33% Black, 18% Asian, and 9% Hispanic. 27% of the population is foreign-born, predominantly from Africa.[1]Kenyan American Huldah Hiltsley and Liberian American Wynfred Russell competed in the DFL primary to succeed the retiring incumbent Michael Nelson (DFL).[8] Hiltsley narrowly defeated Russell and will face Brad Olson in the general election.[149]
District 39B is directly northeast of Minneapolis and includes all of Saint Anthony and parts of Columbia Heights and New Brighton. Incumbent Sandra Feist has been in office since 2021.
District 40A is in the north metro, containing Arden Hills, Blaine, Mounds View, and parts of New Brighton and Shoreview. Incumbent Kelly Moller (DFL) has served since 2019. Moller is running unopposed.
District 41A includes Afton, Lake Elmo and Cottage Grove. Incumbent Mark Wiens (R) is not seeking reelection.[20] In 2022, Wiens only narrowly carried the district, while Tim Walz won by nearly five percentage points.[48]
Lucia Wroblewski, a retired St. Paul police officer, is the DFL candidate. On her campaign site, Wroblewski said she was a use-of-force expert for 24 years and a field training officer for 22 years. She is also an Afton City Council member.[152]
The Republican-endorsed candidate for the seat was Grayson McNew, backed by the Action 4 Liberty PAC.[153][154] He’s a former legislative aide to Erik Mortensen. On his campaign site, McNew says he will push to enact school vouchers. McNew lost the primary election to a more moderate Republican candidate Wayne Johnson.
Jen Fox is the DFL candidate. Fox is a Hastings City Council member and acting mayor of the city.[48] The Republican candidate is Tom Dippel, who ran for the state Senate two years ago. Dippel is another Action 4 Liberty-endorsed candidate and founded the Minnesota Dental Lab in Newport.[153]
District 42A is in the northwest metro area, composed of parts of Plymouth and Maple Grove. Incumbent Ned Carroll (DFL) was first elected in 2022 with 58% of the vote.
District 45A is located in the west metro and includes Minnetonka, Excelsior and Orono. Incumbent Andrew Myers (R) is running for reelection. Myers is an attorney and small business owner. Tracey Breazeale (DFL) is a Minnetonka Beach City Council member and former business executive who worked at Boston Consulting Group and Sleep Number.[48]
District 46A is fully located within Saint Louis Park, just west of Minneapolis.[159] Incumbent Larry Kraft (DFL) was first elected in 2022, when he ran unopposed.
District 46B is in the south metro, containing all of Hopkins and parts of Saint Louis Park and Edina. Incumbent Cheryl Youakim (DFL) has served since 2015 and ran unopposed in 2022.
District 47A in the east metro contains parts of Woodbury and Maplewood. Incumbent Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger was first elected in 2022 with 60.18% of the vote.
District 48A is located in Carver County in the southwest metro. Incumbent Jim Nash (R) was first elected in 2014; he defeated Nathan Kells (DFL) with 59.66% of the vote in 2022.
District 48B includes Chaska, Chanhassen and Shorewood. Incumbent Lucy Rehm (DFL) is running for reelection. Rehm is a former teacher and Chanhassen City Council member. In 2022, she won the election by 417 votes.[48] Caleb Steffenhagen, an officer in the Minnesota Army National Guard and a teacher, is the GOP candidate. He also owns a local milling company.[161]
District 49A is located in the southwest metro and includes portions of Minnetonka and Eden Prairie. Incumbent Laurie Pryor (DFL) is retiring.[9] Alex Falconer, campaign manager for the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters, defeated Minnetonka City Council member Kissy Coakley in the DFL primary and will face Stacy L. Bettison in the general election.[164]
District 49B is located in Eden Prairie. Incumbent Carlie Kotzya-Witthun (DFL) has served since 2019 and was re-elected with 57.62% of the vote in 2022.
District 50A is located in Edina and parts of Bloomington. Incumbent Heather Edelson did not seek re-election as she was elected to the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners in a 2024 special election.[10]
District 52B is located in northern Dakota County, including parts of Eagan and Mendota Heights. Incumbent Bianca Virnig (DFL) was first elected by special election in December 2023.
District 53A is located in Dakota County in the south metro, including much of Inver Grove Heights. Incumbent Mary Frances Clardy (DFL) is seeking re-election; she was first elected with 54.51% of the vote in 2022.
District 53B is located in the southeast metro, including parts of Dakota and Washington counties. Incumbent Rick Hansen (DFL) was first elected in 2004.
District 54A is in the south metro and encompasses Shakopee. Incumbent Brad Tabke (DFL) is running for a third term. In 2022, Tabke won his seat back by eight percentage points over right-wing Republican Erik Mortensen.[167] Mortensen had defeated him narrowly in 2020.
Republican Aaron Paul, a police officer and former school resource officer, will face off against Tabke. Paul says on his campaign site that he’s running to lower taxes, strengthen public safety and improve the state’s education outcomes. Republicans hope a non-Mortensen, more traditional Republican candidate could perform better this year.[citation needed]
District 55A contains the city of Savage and part of Burnsville, in the south Twin Cities metropolitan area. Incumbent Jessica Hanson (DFL) was first elected in 2020 and took 53% of the vote in 2022.
District 57A is located in Scott and Dakota counties, including portions of Lakeville. Incumbent Jon Koznick has served since 2015 and is seeking re-election after winning with 62.53% of the vote in 2022.
District 58A is located in Scott, Rice, and Dakota counties, including the city of Northfield. Incumbent Kristi Pursell (DFL) is running for re-election; she was first elected in 2022 with 54.48% of the vote.
District 58B is located in the southeastern part of the Twin Cities metro. It includes portions of Dakota County. The district covers the cities of Farmington and portions of Lakeville. Incumbent Pat Garofalo (R) is retiring.[21]
District 59A covers Camden and parts of Near North in north Minneapolis.[172] Incumbent Fue Lee (DFL) is running unopposed. He was first elected in 2016 and ran unopposed in 2022.[44]
District 59B is located in Near North, Central, and parts of the East Bank neighborhood in Minneapolis .[174] Incumbent Esther Agbaje was first elected in 2020 and ran unopposed in 2022.[44]
District 60A is located in Northeast Minneapolis.[175] Incumbent Sydney Jordan (DFL), who was first elected in a 2020 special election, is running for re-election. In 2022, Jordan was elected with 86.85% of the vote.[44]
District 61A is located in downtown and Calhoun-Isles in south Minneapolis, including neighborhoods such as Uptown, Loring Park, Bryn Mayr, Lowry Hill, and Cedar-Isles-Dean.[176] Incumbent Frank Hornstein (DFL), first elected in 2002, is retiring.[11] District 61A was the only contested DFL primary for a House seat in Minneapolis or Saint Paul. Katie Jones, an engineer, won the DFL primary over attorney Will Stancil and legislative aide Isabel Rolfes.
District 62B is located in South Minneapolis, comprising much of Phillips and Powderhorn.[189] Incumbent Hodan Hassan (DFL), first elected in 2018, is retiring.[12] In 2022, Hassan was re-elected with 90.28% of the vote.[44]
The DFL candidate is Anquam Mahamoud, former COO of Twin Cities Health Services, a mental health and substance use treatment center in the Twin Cities. The center filed for bankruptcy on June 17, 2024, citing over $3 million in debts, including $721,000 to the IRS and over $39,000 to the Minnesota Department of Revenue, and had its license revoked for licensing violations prior to Mahamoud's tenure as COO. Mahamoud served as COO from October 2023 to April 2024.[190]
District 63B is located in south Minneapolis, mostly in the Nokomis area.[210] Incumbent Emma Greenman (DFL) was first elected in 2020 and ran unopposed in 2022.
District 64A is located in western Saint Paul, mostly in Union Park and Mac-Groveland.[212] Incumbent Kaohly Vang Her (DFL) was first elected in 2018 and won with 85.11% of the vote against Dan Walsh (R) in 2022.[44]
District 64B is located in southwestern Saint Paul, mostly in Highland Park.[213] Incumbent Dave Pinto (DFL) was first elected in 2014 and won with 82.59% of the vote in 2022.[44]
District 66B is located in north central Saint Paul.[219] Incumbent Athena Hollins (DFL), first elected in 2020, received 78.42% of the vote in 2022.[44]
District 67B is located in the easternmost part of Saint Paul.[223] Incumbent Jay Xiong (DFL), first elected in 2018, received 75.17% of votes in 2022.[44]
This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (license statement/permission). Text taken from The key 2024 races that will determine control of the Minnesota Legislature, Christopher Ingraham, Minnesota Reformer. https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/06/28/key-races-to-watch-in-2024/. 
