Last week, a number of communities across Minnesota held elections, the majority of which focused on city council and mayor races. Most notably, three of Minnesota’s larger municipalities, Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Bloomington, held elections which, in some instances, saw broad and sweeping changes to municipal government. It was the first time in history that Bloomington voters saw all six city council members and the mayor on the ballot. Minneapolis and Saint Paul had dozens of new names on the ballot with Saint Paul going so far as electing an all-female slate of city council members. More information about the election results can be found in the Larkin Hoffman Election Summary.
Only days after the 2023 ballots were counted, the 2024 campaign for Congress intensified. This morning, former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels announced his intention to launch a second primary campaign against Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (MN-5). Samuels came within two percent of defeating Rep. Omar in the Democratic primary in 2022. Two other Democrats, Tim Peterson and Sarah Gad, are also vying to unseat Rep. Omar.
With Congressman Dean Phillip (D-3) announcing his candidacy for President, multiple Democrats have announced their campaigns in the third district. Assistant Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Sen. Kelly Morrison (DFL-Deephaven) announced her candidacy last week. She joins Democratic National Committee member Ron Harris who is already in the congressional race for Philip’s’ seat. Others are known to be considering seeking the seat but have not announced.
