Voters choose DFL candidates for St. Paul, Woodbury-Maplewood House seats

Democratic-Farmer-Labor primary voters in St Paul s House District A on Tuesday picked Meg Luger-Nikolai as the candidate who will advance to the January special ballot Luger-Nikolai a labor lawyer who had the DFL endorsement had nearly of the vote in a six-candidate contest according to unofficial results late Tuesday night Progressive organizer Dan McGrath was the runner-up with of the vote One Republican candidate filed to run in District A eliminating the need for a GOP primary Meanwhile Shelley Buck won the DFL special primary for Woodbury and Maplewood s House District A Buck had about of the vote in a three-way race according to unofficial results No Republicans filed to run in District A Undated courtesy photo circa December of Meg Luger-Nikolai a Democratic candidate in the special primary vote for House District A on Dec The voting process is to replace Kaohly Her who vacated her House A seat after being elected mayor of St Paul in November Courtesy of the candidate Buck is the former president of the Prairie Island Tribal Council and director of a Dakota-led nonprofit organization working to restore land around St Anthony Falls in Minneapolis known as Ow mniyomni in the Dakota language She had the DFL endorsement Winners of Tuesday s pair of DFL special primary elections for two vacant House seats advance to the Jan special general poll Prairie Island Indian Society President Shelley Buck speaks at the Treasure Island Center ribbon cutting in St Paul on Jan John Autey Pioneer Press Districts A and A have been vacant since their former representatives won electoral contest to new offices in November Rep Kaohly Her DFL-St Paul was elected St Paul s next mayor and Rep Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger DFL-Woodbury won a special poll for Senate District the seat Nicole Mitchell resigned from after her burglary conviction Both districts strongly favor Democratic candidates Six DFLers sought their party s nomination in St Paul s District A which includes the Union Park Macalester-Groveland and Summit-University neighborhoods Besides Luger-Nikolai and McGrath A candidates included McGrath Beth Fraser a former Minnesota deputy secretary of state Matt Hill an aide on the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners Lois Quam a wellbeing care executive who helped implement MinnesotaCare John Zwier an assistant state attorney general under Attorney General Keith Ellison Luger-Nikolai will face the sole Republican candidate business owner Dan Walsh in January DFLers dominate elections in St Paul Her won four consecutive two-year terms with more than of the vote Three candidates sought the DFL nomination in House District A which includes parts of Woodbury and southern Maplewood Since no Republican filed paperwork to run in the district Tuesday s primary likely determines the winner of the January special general vote Buck competed with David Azcona and Juli Servatius for the DFL nod The House now has Republican members and DFL members though barring a key unprecedented upset January s special elections are likely to return the chamber to a - tie which voters delivered in the referendum The Minnesota Legislature is scheduled to reconvene on Feb Related Articles Walz signs executive orders on guns as Legislature remains stalled on issue Tuesday special primary will pick DFL candidates for vacant MN House seats Gov Tim Walz appoints former BCA chief as state fraud czar Joe Spencer St Paul s budget signals bold push for a stronger downtown candidates vie for vacant St Paul House seat DFL primary on Tuesday