As the district lines were redrawn, so were some political careers. A number of legislators found themselves out of their old districts, and some were faced with a decision to run against a former colleague, or retire.

So it was with Senate Minority Leader Melisa Lopez Franzen (DFL, Edina), pictured at left. Her neighborhood was shifted to Senate District 46 (Edina/Hopkins/St Louis Park), which has been the home territory of Sen. Ron Latz (DFL, St Louis Park). Latz declared for re-election, and Franzen chose to retire after the current session ends in May.

As a result, the MN Senate seat in Senate District 50 is now open. Former legislator Dr. Alice Mann (DFL, formerly from Lakeville) has declared her intent to run for this open seat.

Similarly, Rep. Andrew Carlson (DFL, east Bloomington) found out on February 15 that he was suddenly living in the same district as Rep. Steve Elkins (DFL, west Bloomington). They appear to be set to square off against each other for the House District 50B seat. Rep. Heather Edelson (DFL, Edina) plans to run in House District 50A.

Redistricting rendered the House District 51B seat (east Bloomington) open. Nathan Coulter, re-elected to the Bloomington City Council in 2021 and a legislative assistant for the DFL House Caucus, has declared for the open seat.

Sen. Melissa Halvorson Wiklund (DFL, Bloomington Richfield) will run for re-election, now in Senate District 51.

With two open seats in Senate Districts 50 and 51, there is opportunity for conservative candidates. If you are passionate about changing the direction that our state is going and would consider running for office, please let us know. Please call and leave a message at (952) 856-3028 and we will get back to you.