The race for Mayor of St. Paul is heating up a few months away from the 2025 Election.
Just this week, a former policy aid for St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter announced that she is now running against him for his job.
DFL State Representative Kaohly Her released a statement on Monday saying, in part, the American Dream is no longer attainable for many as it was for her family who came to the United States as Hmong refugees.
Her says St. Paul needs safe streets, strong schools and thriving neighborhoods at a time when the cost of living continues to rise, housing is expensive and out of reach for many, and economic growth is at a standstill.
At the same time, Carter officially filed for re-election on Monday but it's been known he's running since his original announcement in January. He's seeking a third term leading Minnesota's capital city.
Her told WCCO's Vineeta Sawkar on the Morning News that it won't be easy facing a two-term incumbent.
"And you know, it is gonna be an uphill challenge," Her explained. "I do not take the challenge in front of me lightly, but I am a hard worker. There is a path forward and if it's still winnable for me, absolutely."
Carter was first elected in 2017, gaining 50% of the vote. The city uses ranked-choice voting like its neighboring Twin City, Minneapolis. Carter's winning total in 2021 was more than 60%.
But her told WCCO that she's heard from too many people concerned about the direction of St. Paul under Carter's watch.
"I was hearing from too many neighbors and community groups that our city was going in the wrong direction, and that they wanted some change," Her said. "And this is really about making sure that people have a choice because that's how democracy works best, is when people have choices."
Her was Carter's policy director during his first term. She told Vineeta Sawkar on the WCCO Morning News she feels there is a path for her to win.
Her has two adult daughters and lives in St. Paul with her husband. She also served as speaker pro tempore of the Minnesota House and is the co-chair of the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee.
Besides Her and Carter, declared candidates include another Democrat, Yan Chen who is a biophysicist, and Mike Hilborn, a local business owner who is running as a Republican.
Winning that office in St. Paul for a Republican is an uphill climb. St. Paul has not had a Republican Mayor since Norm Coleman switched parties in the middle of his two terms from DFL to the GOP in 1996. Randy Kelly served from 2002-2006 as an independent.
Prior to Coleman, you have to go back to the 1920s and Arthur E. Nelson to find a Republican mayor.