Kaohly Her has defeated two-term incumbent mayor Melvin Carter in the race for St. Paul mayor, garnering 47.8% of the vote to Carter’s 45%.
Her, who has been serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2019, is the first woman and the first Hmong American elected to lead Minnesota’s capital city.
“My family came here as refugees. Never in their wildest dreams would I be standing here today accepting the position of mayor,” Her said in a statement after her victory. “I want to thank Mayor Melvin Carter for his many years of service to our city. I started my political career working for him, and I will always be grateful for that opportunity.”
Her, who was born in Laos, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She earned an MBA from Northeastern University and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of St Thomas.
