Tuesday is the special primary election to fill the State House seat that was held by the late Melissa Hortman.
House District 34B is traditionally blue, and covers Anoka and Hennepin counties.
Tuesday's primary is between three DFL candidates. Only one Republican has filed for the seat, and will face the Democratic pick in the election on September 16.
The candidates are former Brooklyn Park Council Member Xp Lee, Brooklyn Park Council Member Christian Eriksen, and Erickson Saye who is a Hennepin County prosecutor. Saye was also a former aide in Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's office.
Ruth Bittner, a local real estate agent, is the only Republican running.
"So, it's always tough to tell in these primaries, in a special election, who's tuned in," says WCCO Political Analyst Blois Olson. "I think all of them have a certain experience in the community, city council or whatever. And so, I think they just try to reflect the district, but obviously this is a seat that will be considered Melissa Hortman's seat as long as I can think, ahead into the future."
It is a special election with some meaning in the Minnesota House. The 2025 session operated with a 67-67 tie between Democrats and Republicans. Should this seat remain in DFL hands, that tie would remain in place.
There are still two more special elections remaining which Walz has yet to call. Those are in the Senate where Sen. Bruce Anderson (R- Buffalo) suddenly passed away in July, and Sen. Nicole Mitchell (D- Woodbury) who resigned after being found guilty of felony burglary charges. The DFL held a slim, one seat advantage in the Senate making both of those just as important for control of the chamber as the special election in the House. Both of the Senate seats would be upsets if they were to flip parties.
Hortman was House Speaker Emerita during the 2025 session. Hortman and her husband were shot and killed at their own home nearly two months ago in what prosecutors say was a political attack.
The man accused of killing Hortman and her husband Mark, Vance Boelter, is in custody and pleaded not guilty to murder charges last week.