Twin Cities voters decided Tuesday which candidates will head to the November general election in a slate of local, nonpartisan races. There were new faces competing to fill seats and incumbents who have held office for decades.
Voters decide dozens of nonpartisan primary races across metro, from city councils to school boards
From Northfield to Anoka County, voters in Tuesday night’s primary elections chose who will appear on ballots in November.
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Below is a summary of key local races in select metro-area primaries, from mayoral races to county board contests.
Minneapolis
School board Vice Chair Kim Ellison is seeking re-election to an at-large seat and is running with the DFL party endorsement. With all precincts reporting, Ellison will face Shayla Owodunni, a preschool tutor at Pillsbury Elementary in northeast Minneapolis, in November.
Ellison said she’s excited to work with Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams and brings history and experience to a “young board that needs to make big decisions in a short amount of time.”
Owodunni said she opposes the idea of closing schools, saying it opens the “Pandora’s box” of families potentially leaving the district. District spending deserves closer scrutiny, she said, with resources more closely aligned to the district’s strategic goals and priorities.
The district is grappling with persistent enrollment declines and budget deficits. A “district transformation process” that may include closing or merging schools awaits.
South St. Paul
Three candidates competed for mayor in South St. Paul. Incumbent Jimmy Francis, first elected in 2016, and Mark Westpfahl will move on to the general election, with all precincts reporting.
Francis said his campaign emphasized “continued functional government,” adding that two important issues include economic development and protecting the city’s water supply. Bringing new commercial businesses to town “will be the engine for us moving forward,” he said.
Westpfahl said he encourages his students to get involved; doing so made him want to step up, too.
He wanted to see the city collaborate more with other levels of government, seek out partnerships and plan ahead for big projects so they’re not overwhelming to fund. The city needs to be “more proactive than reactive,” he said.
Northfield
The race for Northfield mayor featured a crowded field of candidates. With all precincts reporting, Ruth Dahl and Erica Zweifel, a current City Council member, will advance.
Ramsey County
Three of seven faces on the Ramsey County Board will be new in 2025. In District 7, covering Maplewood, North St. Paul and White Bear Lake, Kelly Miller and Sarah K. Yang were the top vote getters Tuesday night with all precincts reporting and will face off in November.
Dakota County
There was just one seat on the primary ballot in Dakota County. Liz Workman has served on the Dakota County Board in District 5 — which covers Burnsville — since 2009. Workman and Yusuf Haji were victorious, with all precincts reporting.
Washington County
The Washington County Board will see a new face representing District 3 next year, the large district that covers Stillwater, Afton and Lake Elmo, along with several other cities and townships. With all precincts reporting, Bethany Cox and Mark Wiens were leading the race.
Anoka County
There were primary races for two seats on the Anoka County Board.
In the race in District 5, which covers Andover and part of Coon Rapids, Randy Nelson and incumbent Mike Gamache came out on top, with all precincts reporting.
In District 1, which encompasses St. Francis, most of Anoka, Nowthen and Ramsey, Betsy O’Berry and John Heinrich won.
Heinrich, a former state representative, said that experience taught him how to engage with legislators in St. Paul.
“I’ve always been somebody who was able to work with everybody,” he said.
O’Berry, a retired CPA who has also owned a small business, said she wanted to run to help the community.
“Probably the most important thing is to be forward-thinking,” she said.
Carver County
Two spots on the Carver County Board were up for grabs. Lisa Anderson and Greg Boe will advance in District 1, which encompasses part of Chanhassen and Chaska, with all precincts reporting.
Incumbent Matt Udermann and John Peter Mihajlov will move forward in District 3, which covers part of Chaska and Victoria.
Residents of this St. Paul neighborhood are suddenly living next door to a vice presidential candidate. ‘It’s neat,’ they say.
Neighbors have mostly shrugged off Tim Walz’s rise in the past couple of months. In fact, with added security, the neighborhood is quieter since his nomination, they said. Mostly, it has amounted to a funny little thrill.