Gov. Tim Walz calls special elections for 2 vacant Senate seats

Alex Derosier, Pioneer Press on Jul 29, 2025

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Gov. Tim Walz has called special elections in two Senate districts left vacant this month after the burglary conviction of Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, and the death of Sen. Bruce Anderson, R-Buffalo.

Elections to fill the vacancies will take place on Nov. 4, the governor’s office announced on Tuesday. If necessary, special primary elections will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 26.

Mitchell, a Democratic-Farmer-Labor senator, represented District 47, a Washington County seat that includes the suburbs of Woodbury and parts of Maplewood. She resigned last Friday, a week after a Becker County jury found her guilty of two felony charges for breaking into her estranged stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home.

Anderson was a longtime Republican lawmaker who represented Senate District 29. The district is northwest of Minneapolis and includes parts of Wright, Meeker, and Hennepin counties, as well as the cities of Buffalo and Monticello. He died unexpectedly on July 21 at the age of 75.

With special elections now scheduled in both districts, Minnesota is on track to tie its record for most special elections in a year. The last time there were six special elections was 1994.

Criminal cases, unexpected deaths and a residency dispute have driven up the number of non-election-year contests and have affected political dynamics in a Legislature narrowly divided between the parties.

DFLers currently hold 33 seats in the Senate to Republicans’ 32. The DFL only needs to hold on to Mitchell’s former seat if it wants to maintain the Senate majority. Republicans would have to win both special elections to gain the majority.

Anderson represented a rural district widely seen as a Republican stronghold. The DFL has dominated elections in the Woodbury area in recent years, though Mitchell’s criminal case could draw greater Republican investment in the race.

Candidates can begin filing paperwork to run in District 29 and District 47 this Wednesday. They have until 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, to submit affidavits of candidacy to county officials or the Minnesota Secretary of State.

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