Kaohly Her wins St. Paul mayor with 51.5% after RCV
Rep. Kaohly Her defeated incumbent Melvin Carter after ranked‑choice tabulation produced a final total of 51.5%, overturning a first‑round deficit (Carter 40.83% — 27,611; Her 38.38% — 25,884 of 67,617 ballots) as Her picked up the bulk of second‑choice transfers and won by roughly 2.77 percentage points (~1,877 votes); Ramsey County used open‑source RCV/RCTab software to complete same‑night tabulation and Carter conceded after midnight. Her becomes St. Paul’s first Hmong‑American and first woman mayor, will join an all‑women City Council, serve a three‑year term before the city shifts to even‑year elections in 2028, and is to be sworn in Friday.
📌 Key Facts
- Rep. Kaohly Vang Her won the St. Paul mayoral race after ranked‑choice tabulation, finishing with about 51.5% and defeating incumbent Melvin Carter; she was declared around midnight and Carter conceded, congratulated her and offered transition help.
- Her’s victory is historic: she becomes St. Paul’s first Hmong‑American mayor and the first woman to hold the office, joining an all‑women City Council and making city government women‑led.
- Ramsey County used new open‑source electronic ranked‑choice tabulation software (allowing St. Paul to be among the first Minnesota jurisdictions to use it), beginning tabulation the night of the election (around 11:30 p.m.) and posting results shortly after; batch elimination and cascading transfers were used in the count.
- Total ballots in the race were 67,617. First‑round totals were Melvin Carter 27,611 (40.83%), Kaohly Her 25,884 (38.38%), other candidates combined 13,956 (20.64%), and 166 write‑ins; the 50% threshold was 33,809 votes.
- After elimination and transfers (including from Yan Chen, Mike Hilborn, Adam Dullinger and write‑ins), Her gained roughly 6,411 transferred votes while Carter gained about 2,807, producing Her’s final margin of roughly 1,877 votes (≈2.77 percentage points).
- Geographically, Her led in high‑turnout wards (notably Wards 2 and 3, and neighborhoods like Summit Hill and Macalester‑Groveland and parts of West Seventh and Phalen), while Carter carried wards such as Frogtown, Hamline‑Midway and St. Anthony Park by narrower margins.
- Analysts and campaign accounts noted Her’s late‑August entry into the race, voter frustration over taxes and economic recovery, and Carter’s limited late campaigning as factors contributing to the upset.
- Procedural and transition details: Ramsey County will publish unofficial totals and electronic data quickly and the city canvass is scheduled (after which recount requests can be filed); Her will serve a three‑year term as the city transitions mayoral elections to even years in 2028, and her public swearing‑in is scheduled at St. Catherine University to mark the formal start of her term.
📊 Relevant Data
The Hmong population in St. Paul, Minnesota, is approximately 33,839, representing about 11% of the city's total population of 307,193 as of recent estimates.
Hmong Population in Minnesota by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights — neilsberg.com
From 2000 to 2020, the White population percentage in St. Paul decreased from 67% to 51.9%, while the Asian population percentage increased from 12% to 19.2%.
Demographics of Saint Paul, Minnesota — Wikipedia
Hmong immigration to Minnesota began in 1975 as refugees after the Vietnam War, facilitated by U.S. policies including the Refugee Act of 1980, due to their alliance with the U.S. during the Secret War in Laos.
How did Minnesota become a hub for Hmong people? — Sahan Journal
St. Paul's overall poverty rate is 15.7% as of 2023, higher than the national average of 12.4%.
St. Paul, MN | Data USA — datausa.io
In Minnesota, poverty rates vary by race: 6.6% for White residents, 11.3% for Asian residents, and 26.6% for Black residents as of 2023.
Poverty Rates in Minnesota — mn.gov
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter proposed a 7.9% property tax levy increase for 2024, which was a factor in voter frustration over taxes.
Residential property taxes are going up in St. Paul — Pioneer Press
📰 Source Timeline (13)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 02, 2026
3:57 PM
Kaohly Her to be sworn in as St. Paul mayor on Friday
New information:
- Her’s official public swearing‑in ceremony is scheduled for Friday at St. Catherine University in St. Paul.
- The event will be open/covered to mark the formal start of her term as mayor, transitioning from mayor‑elect to sitting mayor on that date.
November 07, 2025
4:09 AM
Rep. Kaohly Her, St. Paul’s next mayor is no stranger to rising above challenges
New information:
- Her says she will pursue a collaborative, cross‑government and cross‑sector approach and will first convene partners before laying out a detailed plan (new post‑election quotes).
- Her states Melvin Carter has offered his team’s help with the transition.
- Her will serve a three‑year term before St. Paul moves mayoral elections to even years starting in 2028.
- FOX 9 notes the second ranked‑choice round margin was fewer than 2,000 votes (additional detail on the tabulation).
1:38 AM
Why Minneapolis took longer to count ballots than St. Paul
New information:
- Ramsey County switched to electronic ranked‑choice tabulation this year using the open‑source RCTab software.
- The county started tabulation around 11:30 p.m. on Election Night and posted results at 11:58 p.m.
- St. Paul’s previous manual RCV reallocation cost about $30,000 per election and often took days.
November 05, 2025
9:00 PM
Ranked-choice voting: How Kaohly Her surpassed Melvin Carter
New information:
- Total ballots cast in St. Paul mayor’s race: 67,617; 50% threshold was 33,809 votes.
- First‑round totals: Melvin Carter 27,611 (40.83%); Kaohly Her 25,884 (38.38%); others 13,956 (20.64%); 166 write‑ins.
- Ramsey County Elections used the RCVis open‑source RCV software; St. Paul is the first city in Minnesota to use it, enabling tabulation within hours.
- Batch elimination was used to drop Chen, Hilborn, and Dullinger; cascading transfers applied to subsequent ranked choices.
- Transfer counts: Carter gained 2,807; Her gained 6,411 from eliminated candidates’ ballots.
- Intermediate post‑transfer shares cited: Carter ~45%, Her ~47.76%; article reports Her’s final win by 2.77 percentage points (about 1,877 votes).
- Recount requests cannot be made until after the city canvasses results on Nov. 12, per Ramsey County Elections.
5:41 PM
How St. Paul elected Kaohly Her for mayor, precinct-by-precinct
New information:
- Her trailed Carter by about 2,000 votes on first-choice ballots before RCV reallocations.
- Her’s strongest first-choice support concentrated in high-turnout Summit Hill and Macalester-Groveland, with additional precinct wins in West Seventh and Phalen.
- Carter deepened support in Frogtown, Hamline-Midway and St. Anthony Park, with more modest backing Downtown and elsewhere.
- Her’s victory was delivered by ranked-choice reallocation, collecting most second-choice votes from candidates Yan Chen and Mike Hilborn.
2:09 PM
How Kaohly Her became St. Paul’s next mayor
New information:
- Her trailed Carter by 2.4 percentage points in first-choice votes before RCV transfers.
- Her outpaced Carter in first-round votes in Wards 2 and 3, historically high-turnout wards that often decide citywide outcomes.
- Within Her’s House district (covering parts of Wards 1, 2, 3 and 4), she won all but two of the 12 precincts.
- Carter carried the other five wards, but generally by narrow margins.
- RCV eliminations included Yan Chen, Mike Hilborn, Adam Dullinger and write-ins; Her benefited more from second-choice reallocations.
- Her was declared mayor around midnight after tabulation.
7:21 AM
‘This has never been about me’: Melvin Carter concedes St. Paul mayor race
New information:
- Melvin Carter publicly conceded the race after midnight Wednesday at The Black Hart in St. Paul with his wife present.
- Carter congratulated Kaohly Her and said, “This has to be about the city, and that means we have to set Her up for success.”
- He reflected on challenges during his tenure, citing the George Floyd aftermath, COVID-19, and the recent city cyberattack.
- Carter acknowledged doing minimal campaigning even after Her entered the race in August and framed his departure as “passing the baton.”
6:40 AM
Election takeaways: A historic St. Paul upset, mixed messages in Minneapolis, and a DFL Senate
New information:
- Final ranked-choice result: Kaohly Her won with 51.5% after tabulation.
- First-choice vote shares: Melvin Carter ~41%, Kaohly Her ~38%, Yan Chen 10%, Mike Hilborn 9%.
- Context that Her’s late August entry and voter frustration over taxes/economic recovery were factors cited in her upset.
5:12 AM
St. Paul mayoral race needs more counting as no clear winner emerges
New information:
- First-round unofficial results show Mayor Melvin Carter just above 40% and Rep. Kaohly Vang Her just above 38%.
- No candidate won a majority; RCV tabulation will proceed with lowest-finishing candidates eliminated and second-choice votes reallocated.
- Confirms outcome timing: final result delayed until RCV rounds are completed.
5:12 AM
Rep. Kaohly Her wins stunning upset in St. Paul mayoral race, making history
New information:
- Rep. Kaohly Vang Her won the St. Paul mayoral race, defeating incumbent Melvin Carter.
- Her becomes St. Paul’s first Hmong-American mayor and first woman to hold the office.
- Her joins an all-women City Council, making St. Paul government women-led.
3:39 AM
Voters await results in St. Paul mayor’s race
New information:
- Confirms operational use of the new open-source RCV tabulation software on election night with results expected the same evening.
- Provides initial vote counts (11 of 86 precincts) indicating a ~100-vote lead for Her in early returns.
November 04, 2025
4:45 PM
The five-way St. Paul mayor’s race barrels toward a close on Election Day
New information:
- Reiterates same‑night results using open‑source software and adds that Ramsey County will publish unofficial totals and electronic data as quickly as possible.
- Clarifies the broader ballot context (SPPS levy and administrative citations charter amendment) and provides endorsement/neutrality posture of local groups.
- Specifies the winner’s term will be three years due to the transition to even‑year elections in 2028.
November 03, 2025