HENNEPIN COUNTY, Minn. — The midterm elections proved to be historic for Minnesota. Democratic incumbent Tim Walz will serve another term as governor and Democrats will have control of the state House and Senate for the first time since 2014.
Three Black women were elected to serve in the Minnesota Senate, and the first transgender lawmaker, Leigh Finke, won her race for the state House.
And in Hennepin County, two more women made history: Dawanna Witt and Mary Moriarty.
The duo will serve as the new heads of public safety in the county, Witt as the Hennepin County Sheriff and Moriarty as Hennepin County Attorney.
Dawanna Witt
Before any ballots were counted, Hennepin County was on track to elect its first Black sheriff since it was established in 1852. Witt's challenger, Joseph Banks, is a Black man.
Witt won the race with 64% of the vote to Banks' 36%, and when she officially takes office on Jan. 3, will be the first person of color and first woman to lead the sheriff's department.
"It's been a journey and I'm so honored and blessed to have the people in my corner who believed in me from day one and people who knew I would be in this position before I even did," Witt said at her victory party on election night.
Witt, who currently serves as a major in the department that oversees the largest bureau, Adult Detention and Court Services, will replace former sheriff Dave Hutchinson. Earlier this year, Hutchinson announced he would not seek reelection, months after he pleaded guilty to drunk driving in 2021.
Mary Moriarty
Moriarty announced her run for Hennepin County Attorney in late September of 2021. She spent 31 years in the Hennepin County Public Defender's Office and became the first woman to lead that office in 2014.
Throughout the election cycle, Moriarty secured multiple high-profile endorsements from the DFL Party, Attorney General Keith Ellison and more than 40 state legislators.
Her competitor, Martha Holton Dimick, was endorsed by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in September.
Moriarty beat Holton Dimick by a solid 16 percentage points, securing 58% of the vote to Holton Dimick's 42%.
Throughout the election, Moriarty said one of her goals as Hennepin County Attorney would be to reduce incarceration rates and look at alternatives for addressing crime.
"Voters have consistently said we're not quite sure what it looks like, but we know we need change here. We know the system doesn't work very well and we need change," she said Tuesday night to her supporters. "They were open to listening to my ideas about what I would do and I think that's what tonight's victory represents."
Moriarty will replace Mike Freeman. Freeman announced in Sept. 2021 that he wouldn't seek reelection, citing his age and time in office as reasons for stepping aside.
According to the Victory Fund, a national organization that works to get openly LGBTQ candidates elected to office, Moriarty will be the first out LGBTQ woman to serve as Hennepin County Attorney.
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