Kaohly Her wins St. Paul mayor with 51.5% after RCV
Rep. Kaohly Vang Her won St. Paul’s mayoral race after ranked‑choice tabulation, taking 51.5% to defeat incumbent Melvin Carter and becoming the city’s first Hmong‑American and first woman mayor, joining an all‑women City Council. The outcome was produced the same night using new open‑source RCV software (first‑choice shares were roughly Carter ~41%, Her ~38%, Yan Chen 10%, Mike Hilborn 9%), prompted a late‑night concession from Carter, and Her will serve a three‑year term as the city shifts to even‑year elections in 2028.
Elections
Local Government
📌 Key Facts
- Kaohly Vang Her defeated incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter and won the St. Paul mayoral race with 51.5% after ranked‑choice tabulation.
- No candidate won a first‑round majority; first‑choice totals were roughly Melvin Carter ~41%, Kaohly Her ~38%, Yan Chen 10% and Mike Hilborn 9%, and RCV proceeded by eliminating lowest‑finishers and reallocating subsequent choices until Her reached 51.5%.
- Ramsey County used new open‑source RCV tabulation software on election night and said it would publish unofficial totals and electronic data as quickly as possible, producing same‑night results from the tabulation.
- Early returns (11 of 86 precincts) initially showed Her with about a 100‑vote lead in early counts.
- Her becomes St. Paul’s first Hmong‑American mayor and the first woman to hold the office; she will join an all‑women City Council, making the city government women‑led.
- Her’s term will be three years because St. Paul is transitioning its municipal elections to even‑numbered years in 2028.
- Observers cited Her’s late‑August entry into the race and voter frustration over taxes and the pace of economic recovery as factors contributing to the upset.
- Melvin Carter conceded after midnight, congratulated Her—saying “This has to be about the city, and that means we have to set Her up for success.”—reflected on challenges during his tenure (the George Floyd aftermath, COVID‑19, and a recent city cyberattack) and described his departure as “passing the baton.”
📚 Contextual Background
- In 2009, the city of Minneapolis implemented ranked-choice voting that allows voters to rank up to three candidates; if no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the lowest-performing candidates are sequentially eliminated and their votes are reallocated to voters' next-highest choices until a candidate achieves 50%.
📰 Sources (7)
‘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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.