Matt Little, Kathy Keena lead Dakota County Attorney race

Twin Cities voters decided Tuesday who will head to the November general election in a slate of contested local races.

Candidates jockeyed to oust incumbents and fill open seats, including some vacant for the first time in decades.

Below is a rundown of select metro-area primaries.

Four candidates competed for two spots in the November Dakota County Attorney race, and interim County Attorney Kathy Keena and Matt Little will move forward to the general election.

County commissioner races also narrowed Tuesday. Commissioners Joe Atkins and Mary Liz Holberg each faced two challengers. Atkins and South St. Paul Mayor Jimmy Francis will face off in District 2 while Holberg and Mike Robole will advance in District 6.

Four candidates competed for the open District 4 seat. Bill Droste and Seema Maddali will vie for the seat this fall.

Three Ramsey County commissioner seats were on the primary ballot.

Ying Vang-Pao and Mai Chong Xiong will compete for the District 6 seat vacated by retiring Commissioner Jim McDonough. The primary whittled down a field of seven candidates.

Outgoing State Rep. Rena Moran, DFL-St. Paul, took a commanding lead early in the race for the District 4 seat vacated by retiring Commissioner Toni Carter, and will run against Pastor Darryl Spence in November.

Commissioner Rafael Ortega, who represents District 5, also led his primary by a wide margin. He will run against Bill Hosko.

Two outgoing state legislators bested a political newcomer for the District 4 seat on the Washington County Board.

Sen. Karla Bigham, DFL-Cottage Grove and Rep. Keith Franke, R-St. Paul Park, took an early lead in the primary for the nonpartisan seat. The winner in November will fill the spot being vacated by Wayne Johnson, who did not seek re-election.

Scott County Board Chair Mike Beard is not seeking re-election, and three candidates sought to fill his seat. Shakopee City Council Member Jody Brennan and former Council Member Mike Luce will face off in the November election.

Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott will face Council Member April Graves in November, after the two rose to the top of a four-candidate field Tuesday.

In Brooklyn Park, Hollies Winston and Wynfred Russell will move on to the general election, vying to become the city's first Black mayor.

Columbia Heights Mayor Amáda Márquez Simula decisively won her primary, and will run against Cliff Johnson in November.

In the race for Anoka County Sheriff, candidates Paul Lenzmeier and Brad Wise easily edged out Thomas Gagnon.

Tuesday's primary narrowed the field for Minneapolis school board at-large seats and the District 5 seat.

KerryJo Felder, Collin Beachy, Sonya Emerick and Lisa Skjefte will be on the ballot for the two at-large seats in November. Skjefte narrowly defeated Jaton White to be the fourth candidate for the citywide position.

Lori Norvell will run against Laurelle Myhra for the District 5 seat representing southeast Minneapolis.

Felder, Beachy and Norvell were endorsed by the Minneapolis teachers union.

Staff writers Mara Klecker and Tim Harlow contributed to this report.