Xp Lee, a DFL activist from Brooklyn Park who works as a health equity strategist for the state, earned a seat in the Minnesota House on Tuesday following his special election victory.
Lee will fill the House 34B seat that became vacant this summer after the June 14 assassination of longtime DFL lawmaker Melissa Hortman — bringing the state House back to a 67-67 tie between DFL and GOP members.
“I want to take a moment to pay tribute to Speaker Melissa Hortman,” Lee said in a statement following his win. “Her leadership and dedication have paved the way for progress in Minnesota, and I am proud to carry forward that spirit of service and commitment to our communities.”
GOP challenger made gains in blue House district
While Lee won the special election contest by nearly 21 points over Republican Ruth Bittner, the Democratic candidate’s margin of victory was somewhat smaller than the last time the seat was up for election just 10 months ago. And that’s after Lee had raised more than $70,000 to preserve the seat for the DFL.
Lee earned 60.82 percent of the vote on Tuesday, compared to Bittner’s 39.11 percent, resulting in a 21.71-point margin of victory.
Just more than 7,000 people cast votes for the race, compared to the 21,000 votes cast for the office in the 2024 election cycle.
House District 34B spans nearly all of Brooklyn Park, and portions of Coon Rapids and Champlin.
By comparison, in 2024, Hortman earned her 11th term in the legislature by earning 63.08 percent of the vote, compared to her Republican challenger, Scott Simmons, who earned 36.74 percent of the vote. That resulted in a 26.34-point margin of victory for Hortman. A 2022 contest between Hortman and Simmons resulted in similar voter share and a 25.07-point margin.
Bittner campaigned on her community connections
While Bittner knew she had an uphill climb to compete for the seat, the first-time political candidate campaigned on “fiscal responsibility in our state budget, safety and security in our communities and educational excellence in our schools.”
Bittner, an area realtor and former food scientist for nearby Land O’ Lakes, grew up in the district. She and her husband raised her kids in the Anoka-Hennepin School District. And Bittner has been heavily involved in volunteering in local school board races in recent years. Those connections helped her raise more than $34,000, much of that from local donors, in what amounted to a 60-day campaign.
By contrast, Lee has openly campaigned for universal healthcare, a statewide gun buyback program and statewide ranked-choice voting. He has also received scrutiny for social media posts in which he wrote “8647,” which many view as a call for assassinating President Donald Trump.
Over the weekend Gov. Tim Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and other DFL office holders appeared at a voter outreach rally for Lee. He’s expected to be seated as member of the House later this month.
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
