Ruth Shepherd

The Downballot's special elections Big Board for the 2025-26 cycle

Democrat Xp Lee has easily won the special election to replace slain MN state Rep. Melissa Hortman, 61-39. Kamala Harris carried the district 63-35 last year, so it's a rare Dem underperformance (just the 6th this year, vs. 34 overperformances).

The MN House will now return to a 67-67 tie.

Just in: Minnesotans have elected who will replace Melissa Hortman.

Xp Lee, a Democrat, just won today’s special election. He’s a former Brooklyn Park city councilor, who was born in a refugee camp in Thailand; he beat Republican Ruth Bittner after winning a competitive Dem primary last month.

Democrat Xp Lee has won the special election to fill the Minnesota House seat of state Rep. Melissa Hortman, who was assassinated in June, according to the Associated Press.

There was a election tonight
🚨Minnesota Special Election🚨
Democrat Xp Lee has defeated GOP’s Ruth Bittner in HD34B.

Brooklyn Park turned out big for Xp, who will be an outstanding state rep and carry forward the legacy of the late Melissa Hortman 🕊️.

. 💙 #resist.

#MNPol #DemocracyWins

Democrat wins special election for seat held by slain Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman The race comes three months after Hortman and her husband were killed in what Minnesota authorities described as a “politically motivated assassination."

🗳️ Democrat Xp Lee defeated Republican Ruth Bittner in a Minnesota special election to fill the seat previously held by state Representative Melissa Hortman, who was assassinated in June.

www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...

🚨Minnesota State House District 34B Special Election🚨

Democrat Xp Lee has defeated Republican Ruth Bittner.

He will succeed Democrat Melissa Hortman who was assassinated on June 14, 2025.

Congratulations to Xp Lee for winning the special election to the Minnesota House! His commitment to service and vision for the future will honor the legacy of former Speaker Melissa Hortman and deliver results for the people of Minnesota.

The Ten Elections to Watch This September - Bolts Ten elections across ten states: Bolts guides you through the races you should be tracking this month, from two congressional seats to acrimonious local recalls.

both results I was watching tonight have now been added to Bolts' "Big Board":

—Democrat Xp Lee wins the special election to replace Melissa Hortman in the Minnesota House.
—San Francisco Supervisor Joel Engardio is recalled.

(Next up? Arizona, Alabama, and Georgia next week.)

Congratulations to Xp Lee for winning the special election for a seat previously held by former Minnesota Speaker Melissa Hortman. Speaker Hortman and her husband were assassinated in June.

Public safety depends on community trust. Supporting evidence-based violence intervention, policing accountability, and mental health response allows everyone to return home safely.