State Rep. Kaohly Vang Her, DFL-St. Paul, was elected mayor of Minnesota’s capital city in a stunning victory over incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter. A fourth-term state legislator, Her previously worked in Carter’s mayoral office as a policy director.
“My name is Kaohly Her, and I am proud to stand before you today as the first Asian and the first woman mayor-elect for the of St. Paul,” Her said at a victory rally.
Speaking to supporters, Her thanked Carter and said St. Paul needs to increase revenue streams without putting strain on residents, be “open for business,” ensure public safety includes addiction and mental health services, and be “filled with diverse housing options.”
Then, Her turned her attention to what she called “the giant elephant in the room.”
“Right now, Donald Trump and his ICE agents are descending on cities all across the country with permission from the Supreme Court to target people based on what they look and sound like,” Her said. “It’s wrong, and as your mayor I will put the full force of the city behind defending our neighbors.”
Meanwhile, Carter released a statement that congratulated Her and said “While we may not agree on everything, we all have a much greater set of challenges that can only be faced together; my team and I stand ready to help set Rep. Her up to hit the ground running.”
Carter, who has been talked about as a possible running mate for Gov. Tim Walz next year, was seeking a third term as mayor of St. Paul. While many saw the election as a lock for Carter, Her entered the race three months ago and secured a shocking upset.
Prior to winning the St. Paul mayoral election, Her was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2018 and has won reelection every two years since then.
During her time in the House, Her has supported legislation which gives driver’s licenses to illegal aliens and authorizes abortion with no restrictions. She also opposed a measure that revoked adult illegal aliens’ access to MinnesotaCare, a state-run healthcare program.
Earlier this year, Her gained national attention after telling her fellow lawmakers, “I am illegal in this country. My parents are illegal here in this country.” Her, who was born in Laos, made the stunning comments during a House floor debate where she shared how her family came to America.
Addressing her fellow lawmakers, the DFLer appeared to admit that her father, who worked at a U.S. consulate in southeast Asia, forged documents to get his family to America. Her said she had just recently learned that information and told the chamber, “My family broke the law to come here.”
Her’s statements quickly gained national attention on various news outlets and social media platforms. In response, she issued a statement walking back her comments. Among other things, Her said she is a citizen, her parents are citizens, her family “came legally as refugees of the Vietnam War,” and “I am legal.”
The statement did not deny that her father forged paperwork to get her family to America.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
