Here are some key state House and Senate districts

All 201 seats of the Minnesota Legislature are on the ballot this year, and it could come down to a few key races to determine which party will control the House and Senate. For the past two years, the House has been split between the two parties, while the DFL currently controls the Senate by a single seat advantage.

A Republican Legislature would look to roll back spending, taxes and regulations on businesses and farms, while a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Legislature would back higher taxes on corporations and more spending on schools and health care.

There are seven districts where a candidate of one party won locally while the opposing party’s presidential candidate won in 2024. For the DFL, this includes Sens. Aric Putnam, Grant Hauschild and Robert Kupec. In the GOP, this is Sens. Jim Abeler, Karin Housley, Julia Coleman, and the west metro seat held by Sen. Warren Limmer.

While an increasing number of state legislative seats are going uncontested nationwide, Minnesota’s political parties consistently field candidates, bucking the larger trend.

Minnesota state senators are elected for four-year terms, except for election years that end in 0, when terms are two years to account for redistricting.

Races to watch 

MinnPost identified 12 districts with competitive House or Senate races that will likely decide the balance of power in the Legislature.

In District 3, which covers much of the northern border, both the House and Senate races are likely to be competitive. Hauschild, a Democrat, is fighting to keep his seat against Republican Andrea Zupancich, the mayor of Babbitt. The Star Tribune reported that at least $1.3 million has been spent on the race as of last month, much of it from Republican-aligned PACs like Advance Minnesota and Renew Minnesota.

In 2022, Hauschild, a part-time consultant for Essentia Health, won his seat 50.8% to 49.2%. He voted to ban assault weapons in May in the wake of the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting, a move Zupancich has since criticized as not properly representing the views of district voters. Copper-sulfide mining and data centers are also top of mind this election in the district.

In House District 3B, the phrase “every vote counts” rings truer than elsewhere. State Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar won her 2022 election by just 33 votes, and the margin was barely wider in 2024. A former nursing home administrator, Zeleznikar will face off against Aaron Schweiger. Schweiger is a real estate developer.

The metro isn’t without its competitive races either. In District 41B, which includes parts of Hastings and Cottage Grove, House candidates Jen Fox and William Beck are in for a tight race.

Fox, a Democrat, is a business owner and former Hastings City Council member. She told the Pioneer Press she hopes to address rising costs. Beck, a Republican, led Rep. Tom Dippel’s campaign and now works for Dippel’s dental manufacturing business. One of the main topics of his campaign has been fraud. Both candidates are advocating for more state funding to clean up forever chemicals, which have affected water quality in the district.

Below are the races in districts likely to determine control of the legislature.

District 3

Senate: Grant Hauschild* (D) vs. Andrea Zupancich (R)

House 3A: Roger Skraba* (R) vs. Aaron Kania (D)

House 3B: Natalie Zeleznikar* (R) vs. Aaron Schweiger (D)

District 4

Senate: Rob Kupec* (D) vs. Austin Peterson (R)

House 4A: Erika Yoney (D) vs. Andrew Rockhold (R)

House 4B: Thaddeus Laugisch (D) vs. Jim Joy* (R)

District 14

Senate: Aric Putnam* (D) vs. Bernie Perryman (R)

House 14A: Abdi Daisane (D) vs. Mike Conway (R)

House 14B: Zach Dorholt (D) vs. Sue Ek (R)

District 18

Senate: Nick Frentz (D) vs. Jackie Henry (R)

House 18A: Leah Hanson (D) vs. Erica Schwartz* (R)

House 18B: Luke Frederick (D)*

District 24

Senate: Simon Glaser (D) vs. Nels Pierson (R)

House 24A: Heather Holmes (D) vs. Duane Quam* (R)

House 24B: Tina Liebling* (D) vs. John Michael Ajouri (R)

District 32

Senate: Chris Ford (D) vs. Michael Kreun* (R)

House 32A: Amanda Matchett (D) vs. Nolan West* (R)

House 32B: Matt Norris* (D) vs. Leslie Larson (R)

District 34

Senate: John Hoffman* (D) vs. Karen Attia (R)

House 34A: Jason Heaser (D) vs. Danny Nadeau* (R)

House 34B: Xp Lee* (D) vs. Ruth Bittner (R)

District 35

Senate: Angela Nelson (D) vs. Jim Abeler* (R)

House 35A: Zack Stephenson* (D) vs. Josh Jungling (R)

House 35B: Kari Rehrauer* (D) vs. Steve Pape (R)

District 37

Senate: Kristy Janigo (D) vs. Brady Hoag (R)

House 37A: Darci Smith (D) vs. Tom McKee (R)

House 37B: Kristin Bahner* (D) vs. Luke Doerer (R)

District 41

Senate: Judy Seeberger* (D) vs. Tom Dippel (R)

House 41A: Cole Birkeland (D) vs. Wayne Johnson* (R)

House 41B: Jen Fox (D) vs. William Beck (R)

District 54

Senate: Rick Olson (D) vs. Ben Bakeberg (R)

House 54A: Brad Tabke* (D) vs. Aaron Paul (R)

House 54B: Christopher Kartschoke (D) vs. Natalie Barnes (R)

District 58

Senate: Mark Legvold (D) vs. Bill Lieske* (R)

House 58A: Kristi Pursell* (D) vs. Steven Cherney (R)

House 58B: Ed Fellows (D) vs. Drew Roach* (R)

* = Incumbents are marked with an asterisk.