Minnesota House of Representatives Returns to Tie After Special Elections
Minnesota’s House of Representatives will return to a tie after special elections for vacant seats in the east metro delivered two Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) wins. The special elections, held on Tuesday night, saw DFLer Meg Luger-Nikolai win with over 95% of the vote in St. Paul’s House District 64A, while Shelley Buck won with 98% of the vote in Woodbury’s House District 47A.
In the special election to fill St. Paul’s House District 64A, Luger-Nikolai, a labor lawyer, received nearly 30% of the vote in a six-candidate DFL primary in December. Her opponent, Dan Walsh, a St. Paul business owner, was the only Republican candidate and received a little over 4% of the vote. District 64A, which includes the Union Park, Macalester-Groveland, and Summit-University neighborhoods, was vacated by Kaohly Her after she won the St. Paul mayor’s race in November.
Undated courtesy photo, circa December 2025, of Meg Luger-Nikolai, a Democratic candidate in the special primary election for House District 64A on Dec. 16, 2025. The election is to replace Kaohly Her, who vacated her House 64A seat after being elected mayor of St. Paul in November 2025. (Courtesy of the candidate)
DFL Dominance in St. Paul
It was widely expected that the seat would remain in DFL hands, given the party’s dominance in St. Paul politics. Kaohly Her, the previous representative, won four consecutive two-year terms with over 80% of the vote. The DFL’s strong presence in the city made it a challenging race for Republican candidate Dan Walsh.
With DFL wins in St. Paul and Woodbury’s House District 47A, the partisan balance of the Minnesota House will return to 67-67 between the DFL and Republicans. Shelley Buck, the former president of the Prairie Island Tribal Council, was the sole candidate on the ballot in District 47A and won with 98% of the vote, with the remaining votes being write-ins.
Prairie Island Indian Community President Shelley Buck speaks at the Treasure Island Center ribbon cutting in St. Paul on Jan. 16, 2018. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
Reaction from House DFL Leader
House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson congratulated Shelley Buck and Meg Luger-Nikolai on their special election wins, stating, “As the former President of the Prairie Island Indian Community, Shelley Buck brings unique leadership experience and perspective to the House DFL and will be a fearless champion for working families. Meg Luger-Nikolai has dedicated her life and career to standing up for workers, defending public schools, and protecting access to affordable health care.”
The 2026 Legislative session is scheduled to begin on Feb. 17. The past year has seen an unusually high number of special elections due to lawmakers winning election to new office, as well as vacancies from deaths, criminal cases, and a candidate residency dispute. For more information, visit Here
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