Shawn Reed tops Duluth’s former city attorney in ‘unusual opportunity’ judicial race

DULUTH – Shawn Reed topped Gunnar Johnson in a race between two longtime local attorneys vying for the Sixth District Judicial seat currently held by Judge Dale Harris, whose retirement is planned for the end of his term in early January 2025.

Reed has been an attorney for nearly 30 years, has served as a hearing officer, and is currently with Bray & Reed. Through his campaign he touted his daily courtroom experience and the more than 11,000 cases he has touched — alongside the visual of a stack of paper. Reed secured just more than 54% of the vote.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Reed said Wednesday afternoon. “I’m just humbled by the entire experience. I truly appreciate all the people who came out and supported us, people who came out and put their lives on hold for this campaign.”

Reed said he traveled all over the vast Sixth District meeting with any groups that wanted to meet.

“I didn’t want anyone to feel left out because it is such an unusual opportunity to have this judicial race,” he said.

Johnson, Duluth’s former city attorney with experience extending into this vast district, is currently with Overom Law.

Voters Tuesday in a West Duluth neighborhood seemed to favor Reed, whether they knew his work firsthand or had done their homework on him.

Rebecca Christian, 41, said she knew of his work in family court and believed him to be fair — an assessment her mother, Julie Christian, 63, signed off on, too.

Ashley Grimm, the incumbent in the Third District’s county commissioner race who went on to easily win re-election, voted for Reed because of his courtroom experience.

“I really know he’ll support specialty courts and go above and beyond,” she said.

The Sixth District position, chambered in Duluth, covers St. Louis, Carlton, Cook and Lake counties.

Johnson thanked supporters via social media early Wednesday and said he was proud of the positive campaign. He congratulated Reed.

“We move forward with gratitude and optimism and remain focused on public service and making a positive difference where we can,” Johnson said.

The two-man field was whittled from a tightly contested five-candidate primary race. Johnson secured the most votes in August by a few hundred.

Reed was a top-three finalist for a judgeship under Gov. Mark Dayton and, following the primary election, said he was interested in the positive changes that a judge can make in people’s lives. It’s judges, he said, who make the decisions that directly involve people’s liberty, the composition of their families and more.

Just nine of the 103 judicial races in Minnesota had more than one candidate in the running.

It’s more common for judges to retire midterm, the vacancies filled when the governor appoints a lawyer from within the district. A judicial term is six years, and typically these nonpartisan races — often found on the back of the ballot — are not contested. Judge Harris, appointed by then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty in 2010, said earlier this year that he didn’t feel right signing on to another term. He didn’t want to be the guy who stuck around too long.