Minnesota voters narrowed the field Aug. 11, setting November matchups for races ranging from the Ramsey County Board to governor and U.S. Senate.
In Ramsey County Commissioner District 5, state Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega and St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker advanced from the three-candidate nonpartisan primary. Pérez-Vega received 47.1% and Noecker 45.8%, eliminating Charles Barklind. The two will compete Nov. 3 to succeed longtime Commissioner Rafael Ortega.
In Minnesota House District 65B, Sebastian Ellefson won the DFL primary over Elena Mena, 58.7% to 41.3%. The seat is open because Pérez-Vega is running for County Board. In neighboring St. Paul districts, DFL Reps. Meg Luger-Nikolai in 64A and Dave Pinto in 64B did not face primary challenges.
In the 4th Congressional District, longtime DFL U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum defeated challenger Aswar Rahman with about 86% of the vote. Republican Paul Wikstrom won his party’s nomination with about 73%, setting up a McCollum-Wikstrom contest in November.
Statewide, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan defeated U.S. Rep. Angie Craig for the DFL nomination for U.S. Senate and will face Republican Michele Tafoya for the seat being vacated by Sen. Tina Smith.
The governor’s race will feature DFL U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar against Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, guaranteeing Minnesota will elect its first woman governor.
Other statewide matchups include DFL Secretary of State Steve Simon against Republican Tad Jude; DFL state auditor candidate Zack Filipovich against Republican Scott Jensen; and DFL Attorney General Keith Ellison against Republican Ronald Schutz.
With the primaries completed and results canvassed, nominees now turn to fundraising, debates and voter outreach ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.
Leave a Reply