Gov. Tim Walz has called special elections for Minnesota Senate seats left vacant by the death of Republican Sen. Bruce Anderson and resignation of DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell.
Elections for both seats will take place Nov. 4, Walz’s office said in a press release Tuesday. If necessary, primary elections for the seats will take place Aug. 26.
Anderson, of Buffalo, died last week at the age of 75, having served in the Legislature for 30 years. He was first elected to the Minnesota House in 1994 and to the Senate in 2012.
His district west of the Twin Cities includes Buffalo, Monticello and Annandale and is thought to be extremely safe for Republicans. He won reelection in 2022 by about 36 percentage points.
Mitchell, of Woodbury, was convicted earlier this month of first-degree burglary and felony possession of burglary tools following a week-long trial. The former senator delivered emotional testimony about what led her to break into the Detroit Lakes home her late father shared with her stepmother. Mitchell’s stepmother, who was at home that night in April 2024, testified that she felt “extremely violated” by Mitchell. Mitchell faces sentencing on Sept. 10.
Initially, Mitchell’s attorneys announced she would leave the Senate by Aug. 4 after finishing up some work at the Legislature. But Mitchell resigned her seat on Friday after finishing her work early, her lawyers said.
Mitchell was in her first term in the Senate, having won the seat in 2022 by more than 17 percentage points. Her southeast metro district, which includes Woodbury and part of Maplewood, is considered a tough district for Republicans to flip.
While party control isn’t likely to change for either seat, a Republican sweep of the special elections would tip control of the state Senate, where Democrats currently hold a one-vote majority.
The special elections for Mitchell and Anderson’s seats will be the fifth and sixth this year. In the first four months of the year, voters elected Sens. Keri Heintzeman and Doron Clark and Rep. David Gottfried via special election. A special election to replace slain DFL House Leader Melissa Hortman will take place Sept. 16 with a primary election Aug. 12 to narrow the field of DFL candidates.
Candidates can start filing for the seats on Wednesday, and paperwork to be on the ballot is due at 5 p.m. on Aug. 6.