Election Related News
Last week, three Democrats faced off in the DFL primary for the seat previously held by former Speaker Emeritus Rep. Melissa Hortman. XP Lee, a former Brooklyn Park City Council member won with 60 percent of the vote, defeating current c Brooklyn Park City Council member Christian Erikson and Hennepin County prosecutor Erickson Saye. Lee will face Republican Ruth Bittner, a small business owner from Coon Rapids, in the special election September 16, 2025.
With the filing deadline closed, fifteen candidates are registered to run for mayor of Minneapolis. This race has been making headlines because of the recent Minneapolis DFL endorsement of Sen. Omar Fateh (DFL-Minneapolis) over two-term Democratic incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey. Since then, Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar have both endorsed Frey in the race.
Current Minnesota State Rep. Mike Frieberg (DFL-Golden Valley) is expected to run for Minnesota Senate in SD 43, the seat currently held by Senator Ann Rest (DFL-New Hope). Sen. Rest, who has served in the Minnesota Legislature since 1985 and the Minnesota Senate since 2001, currently chairs the Senate Tax Committee and has not stated whether she will run again. However, it has been reported that Rep. Frieberg intends to run for the seat and challenge Sen. Rest if necessary.
Today Minnesota State Representative Cedrick Frazier (DFL-Minneapolis) announced his run for Hennepin County Attorney on the heels of current Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty’s decision to not seek re-election. Frazier noted that he has the endorsement of current Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and will also seek the endorsement of the DFL.
University of Minnesota Board of Regents
Last week also saw Gov. Walz announced four appointees to the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents. This came after the legislature and governor did not replace the positions that vacated on July 1, as the legislative process to appoint regents ended in gridlock. Joel Bergstrom, Samuel Heins, Ellen Luger and Kowsar Mohamed will serve as interim regents until the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate are able to hold a joint session and appoint their selections.
These appointees were met with some scrutiny by Republican legislators who had sought to have the Regent appointments included in the end-of-session negotiation. Typically, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents selection process involves a joint convention of the Minnesota State Legislature, with candidates who have been vetted by the legislative Regent Candidate Advisory Council (RCAC). Every two years, one-third of the U of M Board of Regent’s 12 members are elected to six-year terms, with at least one Regent residing in each of Minnesota’s eight congressional districts and four elected at-large. One of the at-large seats must be held by a current University of Minnesota student.
