The race for Rep. Melissa Hortman’s former House seat begins

ST. PAUL, Minn. (Minnesota Reformer) — As the deadline to file for candidacy passed Tuesday afternoon, three Democrats and one Republican sought the mantle of representing the district long served by the late Rep. Melissa Hortman. 

Gov. Tim Walz called a special election following the death of Hortman and her husband, Mark, last month in what has been termed a political assassination.

The primary for House District 34B is August 12, with the special election to follow on September 16. Write-in requests for candidacy will be accepted until September 9. District 34B covers parts of Brooklyn Park, Champlin and Coon Rapids. Hortman first ran for election in 1998 and 2002 but didn’t win the former swing district until 2004. By 2024, the district had become strongly Democratic, with Hortman winning last year’s election by 26 percentage points. Kamala Harris received a similarly wide margin of 27 points.

The Republican Party now holds a one-seat advantage in the Minnesota House, leaving little room for error if the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party wishes to return to a 67-67 deadlock and shared control of the House. The three DFL candidates running for the seat are Xp Lee, Christian Eriksen and Erickson Saye.

Xp Lee

Xp Lee, a health equity strategist for the Minnesota Department of Health, won the DFL endorsement Monday. 

Lee served on the Brooklyn Park City Council from 2022 to 2024. He said his first priority is health care, including lowering the cost of prescription drugs and protecting abortion rights, which are not currently under threat in Minnesota after the Legislature under Hortman’s leadership codified abortion rights in 2023. Lee wants an expanded public health insurance option on the way to universal health care. He also said he hopes to prioritize education and address disparities in educational achievement.

“There’s a lot of conversation around fully funding our schools, but really it’s not just about giving them more funds. It’s about how we use those funds most effectively, and I want to be able to dive into those conversations to help our parents, our teachers, our administrators, and then, of course, our kids, to be able to succeed,” Lee said.

Christian Eriksen

Christian Eriksen has served on the Brooklyn Park City Council since 2022 and formerly chaired the city’s Human Rights Commission. Eriksen didn’t win his first City Council election; his resilience in continuing to run until he won reflects his “tenacity,” he said. On the City Council, he worked to put a development pause in place.

Eriksen hopes to expand MinnesotaCare, a health care program for the working poor, and explore a Minnesota single-payer health care program. He also wants to update the local government aid formula, which determines how much money the state distributes to cities. According to Eriksen, the formula disadvantages first- and second-ring suburbs like Brooklyn Park.

Erickson Saye

Erickson Saye is a Hennepin County prosecutor who worked as the lead DFL organizer in the 3rd congressional district in 2018, which had the highest voter turnout in the country. He also worked in the Walz administration on constituent services and veteran affairs and served as the policy director of Minnesota Voice, a nonprofit focused on voter engagement.

“From elections to law school to prosecutor, everything has been to serve communities and serve people. As a father and husband, that’s something that was instilled in me. As an immigrant, that was something that my mother instilled in me. So that service to community is something that is very important to me,” Saye said.

Saye said his work as a prosecutor has motivated him to make resources for youth — including after-school activities — one of his top policy priorities, especially as a way to prevent crime. If elected, he also hopes to improve affordability, housing stability and child care access.

Ruth Bittner

Ruth Bittner is the sole Republican in the race. She was not available for an interview. According to a news release, Bittner has never held public office in Minnesota; she was formerly a food scientist and currently works as a real estate agent. Her biggest priorities are “common sense budgets that bring back fiscal stability to Minnesota”; public safety; and “educational excellence.”

“In these times of extreme partisanship, I can think of no more important mission than to restore the people’s trust in government,” Bittner said in a statement. “I want to be a voice in the Legislature that represents all people, and who is willing to reach across the aisle to negotiate for the good of all, even when issues are difficult.”

The candidates have acknowledged the legacy that Hortman leaves behind. The former speaker, recognized for her legislative accomplishments, may prove a tough act to follow.

“She is someone who was a fighter, and the fact that she was taken away from us, our community, is something that is always in the back of your mind — something that every conversation, every speech, is just in your heart,” Saye said. “That will forever be her seat, and we just hope to carry her legacy on as much as possible.”

Lee said he lives not too far from the Hortmans’ house. ”We’ve just had a lot of conversations with neighbors and other residents close by — remembering her and just really feeling about what we can do to move forward. And part of this is also, of course, to take up her legacy at the Capitol,” Lee said.

Until the special election, the vacant seat will be one of three left empty in the Minnesota Legislature following the anticipated resignation of Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, and the death of Sen. Bruce Anderson, R-Buffalo.

Walz has yet to call a special election for either Senate seat.

(Story written by Izzy Wagener – Minnesota Reformer)