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3w ago

Xp Lee Wins Special Election, Restoring 67–67 Tie in Minnesota House

The outcome restores a 67–67 split that keeps the House power-sharing deal in place.

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.
ST PAUL, MINNESOTA - JUNE 16: A makeshift memorial for DFL State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman is seen at the Minnesota State Capitol building on June 16, 2025 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Law enforcement agencies captured a suspect in the killing of DFL State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, who were shot at their home on June 14th. DFL State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and hospitalized in a separate incident. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said during a press conference that the shooting "appears to be a politically motivated assassination." (Photo by Steven Garcia/Getty Images)

Overview

  • The Associated Press projected Democrat Xp Lee defeated Republican Ruth Bittner in the Brooklyn Park–area district previously held by Melissa Hortman.
  • Hortman and her husband were killed in June in what authorities describe as a politically motivated attack that also wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife.
  • With the chamber deadlocked again, Speaker Lisa Demuth and DFL leader Zack Stephenson plan to maintain the bipartisan power-sharing arrangement.
  • Gov. Tim Walz has signaled a special session focused on gun policy and public safety following recent shootings, and Lee could be sworn in before that convenes.
  • Accused shooter Vance Boelter faces state and federal charges, with prosecutors alleging he impersonated law enforcement and kept notebooks listing about 45 potential targets including elected officials and abortion providers.