Democrat Xp Lee has won the special election to succeed former Speaker Melissa Hortman in the Minnesota House, defeating Republican Ruth Bittner. Lee’s victory restores a 67-67 tie in the chamber, preserving the power-sharing deal in place since Democrats lost their majority in 2024.
Hortman and her husband were killed in June in what authorities describe as a politically motivated attack. Before her death, Hortman served as House Speaker and was a key figure in Minnesota Democratic leadership.
The race was held in a heavily Democratic district covering Brooklyn Park and parts of Champlin. Unofficial results show Lee with about 61 percent of the vote to Bittner’s 39. More than 7,100 ballots were cast out of roughly 26,600 registered voters in the district.
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