List of special elections to the Minnesota House of Representatives

This is a list of special elections to the Minnesota House of Representatives. Such elections are called by the governor of Minnesota to fill vacancies that occur when a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives dies or resigns before the biennial general election. Winners of these elections serve the remainder of the term and are usually candidates in the next election for their districts.

General elections are held in November of even numbered years. New Legislatures convene on the first Tuesday following the first Monday of the following year.

Special elections

District Legislature Date Predecessor Successor Cause66A66thApril 8, 1969Marvin E. Christianson Sr. (DFL)Donna Jean Christianson (DFL)Death.26A79th August 1, 1995Gene Hugoson (R)Bob Gunther (R)11B80thNovember 7, 1997Ken Otremba (DFL)Mary Ellen Otremba (DFL)Death (cancer).17A80thJanuary 6, 1998LeRoy Koppendrayer (R)Sondra Erickson (R)Resigned to become a member of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.23A80thJanuary 20, 1998Barb Vickerman (R)James Clark (R)51B80thJanuary 27, 1998Doug Swenson (R)Ray Vanderveer (R)7A81stNovember 2, 1999Willard Munger (DFL)Dale Swapinski (DFL)Death (liver cancer).12B82ndNovember 6, 2001Steve Wenzel (DFL)Greg Blaine (R)Resigned to become State Director of Rural Development in the United States Department of Agriculture.47A82ndMarch 4, 2002Darlene Luther (DFL)John Jordan (R)Death (stomach cancer).40A83rdFebruary 3, 2003Dan McElroy (R)Duke Powell (R)Resigned to become Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Finance.52B83rdFebruary 11, 2003Mark Holsten (R)Rebecca Otto (DFL)Resigned to become Deputy Commissioner of Natural Resources.32B83rdFebruary 25, 2003Rich Stanek (R)Kurt Zellers (R)Resigned to become Sheriff of Hennepin County. 18A83rdDecember 30, 2003Tony Kielkucki (R)Scott Newman (R)Resigned following appointment to a position in the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office.15B84thDecember 27, 2005Joe Opatz (DFL)Larry Haws (DFL)Resigned to become Interim President of Central Lakes College.28B85thAugust 7, 2007Steve Swiggum (R)Steve Drazkowski (R)Resigned to become Minnesota Commissioner of Labor and Industry.5B87thFebruary 15, 2011Tony Sertich (DFL)Carly Melin (DFL)Resigned following appointment to Commissioner of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board.61B87thJanuary 10, 2012Jeff Hayden (DFL)Susan Allen (DFL)Resigned following election to Minnesota Senate. 14A 88th Steve Gottwalt (R) Tama Theis (R) Resigned to become the director of state legislative policy for the Center for Diagnostic Imaging. 19A 88th Terry Morrow (DFL) Clark Johnson (DFL) Resigned to become the legislative director for the Uniform Law Commission. 46A 89th Ryan Winkler (DFL) Peggy Flanagan (DFL) Resigned to relocate to Belgium. 3A 89th David Dill (DFL) Rob Ecklund (DFL) Death (cancer). 50B 89th Ann Lenczewski (DFL) Chad Anderson (R) Resigned to join Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P. 32B 90th Bob Barrett (R) Anne Neu (R) Ruled ineligible to be a candidate in the 2016 general election by the Minnesota Supreme Court. 23B 90th Tony Cornish (R) Jeremy Munson (R) Resigned due to allegations of sexual harassment.11B91stJason Rarick (R)Nathan Nelson (R)Resigned after winning a special election to the Minnesota Senate.60A91stDiane Loeffler (DFL)Sydney Jordan (DFL)Death (cancer).30A91stNick Zerwas (R)Paul Novotny (R)Resigned to spend more time with his family and to seek employment outside of the Legislature.52B93rdRuth Richardson (DFL)Bianca Virnig (DFL)Resigned to focus on role at Planned Parenthood.27B93rdMarch 19, 2024Kurt Daudt (R)Bryan Lawrence (R)Resigned.40B94thMarch 11, 2025Jamie Becker-Finn (DFL)David Gottfried (DFL)Becker-Finn did not seek re-election in November. Curtis Johnson, elected to represent the district in the November 2024 election, was ruled ineligible to serve due to residency requirements.34B94thSeptember 16, 2025Melissa Hortman (DFL)Xp Lee (DFL)Hortman was assassinated on June 14, 2025.

See also List of special elections to the Minnesota Senate

References

External links Results of Special Elections for the Minnesota Legislature, 1971-present Minnesota Legislative Reference Library