WASHINGTON – Voters in Minnesota will choose a new representative Tuesday in a heavily Democratic state House district at the center of a post-Election Day drama to control the chamber.
The special election in House District 40B, in the northern St. Paul suburbs, was scheduled after a state court ruled that Democratic state Rep.-elect Curtis Johnson failed to meet residency requirements. Had Johnson taken office, the House would have started the 2025 session in a 67-67 tie that was expected to result in a power-sharing agreement between the two parties. Instead, Johnson’s decision not to appeal the court ruling gave House Republicans a temporary 67-66 advantage, which GOP leaders said gave them the “organizational majority” needed to control the House agenda. That prompted a Democratic boycott of the chamber.
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The parties eventually reached a power-sharing agreement in February that assumes that Democrats will hold the district in Tuesday’s special election, restoring the 67-67 tie.
The nominees for the seat are Democrat David Gottfried, an attorney, and Republican Paul Wikstrom, who also ran in 2024 and challenged Johnson’s residency status in court.
Johnson received 65% of the vote in November, compared with about 35% for Wikstrom. Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris carried the district with 68% of the vote, far better than the 51% she received statewide in her narrow win over Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.
The district is contained entirely within Ramsey County and includes the communities of Roseville and Shoreview. The eight precincts in Roseville made up nearly two-thirds of the district’s total vote in 2024 and posted higher vote percentages for Democratic candidates than the four precincts in Shoreview.
The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.
There are no automatic recounts for state legislative races in Minnesota. A losing candidate may request a publicly funded recount if the margin is less than 0.5% of the total vote. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.
Here’s a look at what to expect on Tuesday:
Special election day
The special election for state House District 40B will be held Tuesday. Polls close at 8 p.m. local time, which is 9 p.m. ET.
What’s on the ballot?
The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in the House District 40B special election.
Who gets to vote?
Any resident in state House District 40B who's eligible to vote may participate in the special election. Minnesota allows voters to register at the polls.
What do turnout and advance vote look like?
There were nearly 28,000 registered voters in House District 40B in both the 2024 and the 2022 general elections. Turnout was about 88% of registered voters in November 2024 and about 75% in November 2022. About 40% of ballots in 2024 were cast before Election Day, compared with about 27% in the 2022 midterm elections.
As of Thursday, more than 1,200 absentee ballots had been cast before the special election day, out of the approximately 3,400 requested.
How long does vote-counting usually take?
In the 2024 presidential election, the AP first reported results in Ramsey County at 9:21 p.m. ET, or 21 minutes after polls closed. The election night tabulation ended at 3:59 a.m. ET with about 99% of total votes counted.