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St. Paul voters chose a new mayor Tuesday, handing state Rep. Kaohly Her a surprise win over her former boss, two-term Mayor Melvin Carter. “My family came here as refugees. Never in their wildest dreams would I be standing here today accepting the position of mayor,” Her said in a statement. In thanking Carter for his service, she noted that she had once worked as his policy director. “I started my political career working for him, and I will always be grateful for that opportunity.” Her and Carter were locked in a tight race that featured three other candidates and centered on affordable housing and public safety in the capital city. With all 86 precincts reporting, Carter had garnered 40.83% of the vote to 38.43% for Her, according to the Secretary of State’s Office, meaning the ranked-choice election would go to a second round of vote counting. Ramsey County elections officials confirmed Her’s win around midnight. “We expected it to be close,” Carter told supporters before a winner had been declared at a watch party at The Black Hart of Saint Paul. The race also included Yan Chen, Adam Dullinger and Mike Hilborn. Carter, who was elected in 2017 and again in 2021, ran on economic gains made under his leadership, including an increase in the city’s minimum wage to $15 and a guaranteed income pilot program that provides $500 monthly to low-income families. But he acknowledged that the political winds were stirring. “We are in a moment of global change,” he told reporters before the election was decided, saying the last few years have brought tremendous challenges, including Trump administration threats to dispatch federal troops to Minneapolis and St. Paul, as it has done in other major cities. “We’re experiencing moments in which cities have to worry about the federal government laying their cities under siege,” he said. Her, who represents a St. Paul district in the Minnesota House, challenged the mayor’s vision for reviving a moribund post-COVID downtown and called for more pushback on Trump administration immigration policies, saying the city should require name badges and ban face coverings for federal law enforcement agents. “We are stronger when we work together,” she told supporters at her watch party at Sweeney’s Saloon. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I have a plan to move St. Paul forward.” Earlier in the evening, supporters at Carter’s watch party were cautiously optimistic about the incumbent’s chances. Attorney Haley Taylor Schlitz lauded the mayor’s work in the community, saying “he cares about St. Paul.” She added: “He really does stand up for the people and their access to fair housing and health care, gun safety, and education equity.” The shoulder-to-shoulder crowd in a small room at The Black Hart sang karaoke and erupted in cheers when democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani was projected to win the much-watched mayoral race in New York. The mood changed with news of Her’s win. Carter congratulated Her, saying: “This has to be about the city. And that means we have to set her up for success.” “I fully anticipate Representative Her doing a fantastic job as our first female mayor of this city, as our first Hmong American mayor of this city and our next mayor of the city of St. Paul,” he said. Her will work with a St. Paul City Council made up of all women. Related from MinnPost 2023 coverage: St. Paul voters send 7 women to City Council in historic election School referendum Meanwhile, St. Paul voters backed a school levy referendum that would raise about $37 million more in property taxes each year for St. Paul Public Schools. Residents voted for an increase to the district’s general revenue by $1,073 per pupil for 10 years, beginning with taxes payable in 2026. The St. Paul Board of Education planned to canvass the election results on Nov. 11. The district has struggled with budget gaps and anticipated a $37 million deficit next year. Administrators said arts and music programs, as well as some extracurricular activities, were at risk without the increase in funds. The issue worked its way into the mayoral race, with both Carter and Her expressing their support for the measure. About two-thirds of the voters supported it, including Brian Martinson, a St. Paul planning commissioner who attended Carter’s watch party. “We need to invest more in our kids,” he said. Voters also backed a measure to amend the city charter to allow for administrative citations for violations of city ordinances. That, too, passed with about two-thirds of the vote. Editor’s note: This story has been updated with Her winning the mayor’s race. Wren Warne-Jacobsen is a University of Minnesota journalism student on assignment for MinnPost this semester.
