Gov. Tim Walz calls special election to fill late Rep. Melissa Hortman鈥檚 House seat

Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, discusses the budget deal compromise on undocumented immigrant health care on Thursday, May 15, 2025, at the state Capitol in St. Paul, with Gov. Tim Walz beside her.

By Dana Ferguson / MPR News

Today at 4:13 PM

A special election will take place Sept. 16 to fill a Brooklyn Park-area state House seat left vacant after House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman was killed last month.

In setting the date, Gov. Tim Walz announced that candidates can begin filing on July 15 for the District 34B seat that covers parts of Brooklyn Park, Champlin and Coon Rapids.

House Minority Leader Melissa Hortman, D-Brooklyn Park, looks on during a pre-legislative session briefing for the media in the Minnesota State Senate Building in St. Paul on Feb. 13, 2018. Michael Brun / Forum News Service

Filing will close on July 22, with possible primary elections to be held on August 12 if multiple candidates from the same political party file to run.

Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman were killed in their Brooklyn Park home on June 14. Vance Boelter remains in custody on state and federal charges in the fatal shooting of the Hortmans and a related attack on state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. The Hoffmans are recovering after each being shot multiple times in their home.

The House currently has 67 Republicans and 66 DFLers. The next regular session isn鈥檛 due to begin until Feb. 17, but a special session could occur if there are pressing matters to deal with before then.

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