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Xp Lee Wins Minnesota House Special Election, Restoring 67–67 Split

Leaders plan a special session on gun policy next.

Xp Lee, Democratic candidate for the Minnesota House, knocks on doors while campaigning in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, on September 11.
People look at a memorial for Melissa and Mark Hortman during a candlelight vigil outside the State Capitol building in St. Paul, Minnesota, on June 18, 2025.
Melissa Hortman.

Overview

  • Lee, a health equity analyst and former Brooklyn Park council member, defeated Republican real estate agent Ruth Bittner in the heavily Democratic 34B district.
  • The result returns the House to a 67-67 tie and preserves the bipartisan power-sharing arrangement negotiated after Democrats lost their majority in 2024.
  • Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar campaigned for Lee as the race unfolded against broader concerns over political violence.
  • The seat was vacated after former Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were fatally shot on June 14; suspect Vance Boelter faces state and federal charges, with prosecutors citing police impersonation and notebooks listing officials.
  • Walz has indicated he will convene a gun-policy special session following a recent Minnesota school shooting, and the restored tie keeps committee parity and co-chairs in place.