North Branch, MN — On Tuesday, voters in House District 32B cast their vote to decide if Anne Neu, a Republican, or Laurie Warner, a Democrat would represent them in St. Paul.
Neu beat Warner by 462 votes or approximately 6.5 points.
As reported by Alpha News, a special election was held in the local house district after a local activist group discovered former Rep. Bob Barrett (R-Shafer) did not live in the district. Barrett, who lives in Shafer, rented a home in Taylor Falls, MN. Redistricting left his primary residence outside district lines.
Neu’s victory is an important one as Republicans and Democrats used the race as a way to test the waters for the 2018 election.
Special elections typically have lower turnout than primary or general elections. The election in 32B was no exception as less than 10,000 votes were cast for both candidates.
Congratulations from around the State were sent to Neu in the aftermath of her victory. Shortly after the winner was announced, the Republican Party of Minnesota released this statement:
“We extend our congratulations to Anne Neu, her team, and the House caucus for a fantastic victory tonight!” said Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Keith Downey. “Anne will be a strong and experienced voice for her district and we are confident that she will serve her constituents well.”
Minnesota Republicans have now added to their majority in the House for a total of 77 seats. Neu is expected to be sworn-in in coming days.
Preya Samsundar
Preya Samsundar was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities this Spring with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, with a minor in Strategic Communications. Preya has previously worked on several State Campaign Races.
