MN House 40B disputes continue, while candidates campaign for Special Election
House District 40B will be without representation until the seat is filled via Special Election on January 28
Two candidates will vie for the MN House 40B Special Election at the end of the month to represent parts of Roseville and Shoreview, but in the meantime the seat will be vacant when the Legislature returns to the Capitol next week.
Paul Wikstrom, Republican, is running again after his lawsuit challenging his opponent’s residency was upheld in District Court and resulted in the resignation of DFL Representative-elect Curtis Johnson.
Several DFL candidates filed by the December 31 deadline, but David Gottfried secured the DFL endorsement on Wednesday, Jan. 1 resulting in the rest of the candidates to withdraw. This means there will be no primary before the Special Election on January 28.
Gottfried, who grew up in Roseville and attended Roseville Area Public Schools, is a Shoreview resident and a Pro Bono Specialist at a local law firm, according to his campaign website.
“I want to thank everyone again for turning out in such numbers yesterday [Jan. 1] and for helping us move forward as a Senate District and as a party! The next few weeks will be tough. But we’ll rise to the challenge. That’s what we do,” Gottfried posted on his campaign Facebook page on Jan. 2.
Wikstrom, also from Shoreview, grew up in Montana and North Dakota before moving to Minnesota to attend the University of Minnesota. He is currently a Senior Software Engineering Manager, according to his LinkedIn profile. According to his campaign website, he is seeking re-endorsement from the HD40B Republicans in the January endorsement convention.
The Roseville Reader reached out to both candidates to participate in a candidate Q&A for a future article. For more information about each candidate’s values and priorities, visit their campaign websites:
Meanwhile, the state Republican Party and conservative Minnesota Voters Alliance have petitioned the state Supreme Court to void Governor Walz’s call for a Special Election on Jan. 28, claiming he called it prematurely. The Minnesota Supreme Court will begin hearing oral arguments on Jan. 15.
“As much as we want that seat filled as soon as possible, we first expect our governor to actually follow the law and that was not done,” House GOP Leader Lisa Demuth said in a press conference on Jan. 6.
The Minnesota Legislature will be in session beginning Jan. 14, with a 67-66 Republican controlled House with no representative for MN-House 40B. The DFL is expected to retain control of the seat after the Special Election, bringing the House to a 67-67 tie. In the November 2024 election, DFL-candidate Curtis Johnson won with 67% of the vote.
“Republicans should honor the power sharing agreement and drop their efforts to deny representation to voters in DFL districts. We will not stand by and allow their attempts at illegitimate power grabs to go unanswered,” Minnesota DFL Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.
Voting Logistics
To find out which legislative district you live in, type your address into the Polling Place Finder on the Secretary of State website.
Voters in MN House District 40B can vote absentee starting January 10, but due to the short timeline, the Secretary of State recommends dropping ballots off at Ramsey County Elections office in Saint Paul instead of mailing them. Early in-person voting is also available at that location and hours can be found here. You can vote on Tuesday, January 28 at your polling place between 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
If you aren’t yet registered to vote, you can register by January 21 or on election day.
Thx for this. Could you speak to the recent decision by the council to not follow the county recommendation (and the citys own pathways plan) to build a path on the north side of county c or the mid block crossings?