ST PAUL, Minn. — As many as four longtime DFL lawmakers are poised to lose their seats in the Minnesota legislature to Democratic challengers, if current vote margins hold as the final ballots are counted from the 2020 Minnesota primary.
The prevailing challengers come from the more progressive wing of Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor party.
Minnesota Senate Assistant Minority Leader Jeff Hayden is trailing in his primary following the initial election night results, with challenger Omar Fateh leading by 1,600 votes. Hayden represents the Minneapolis district where George Floyd was killed, and has been an active supporter of police accountability legislation.
Fateh, who secured the DFL endorsement over Hayden, declared victory on Tuesday night, saying on Twitter: "This is what it looks like to hold power to account. This is what it looks like to win for change."
If the vote margin holds, Fateh would run in the November with the chance to become the first Somali American elected to the Minnesota Senate.
Also in the Senate, Duluth-area Sen. Erik Simonson lost the DFL primary to Jen McEwen, who campaigned against copper-nickel mining and oil pipeline projects supported by Simonson. Election night totals showed McEwen with a solid 73% of the vote to Simonson's 27%.
"I want to thank Duluth for the incredible opportunity to serve in the Minnesota legislature over the past eight years," Simonson posted on Twitter on Wednesday morning. "It has been an honor and I’m proud of the work we accomplished."
In the Minnesota House, Rep. Raymond Dehn is trailing Esther Agbaje by less than 500 votes in District 59B. Dehn has represented the Minneapolis district in the legislature since 2003.
Rep. John Lesch, who's represents a portion of St. Paul, was down by nearly 20 percentage points to challenge Athena Hollins in District 66B.
Like Hayden, Simonson and Dehn also ran without the DFL endorsement in their bids for re-election.
Absentee ballots postmarked by Tuesday's primary will still be accepted and counted through Thursday.
