A special election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on March 19, 2024, to elect a new representative for district 27B in the state's House of Representatives. The special election was caused by the resignation of Republican incumbent Kurt Daudt. The candidates in the general election were Bryan Lawrence and Brad Brown for the Republican and Democratic–Farmer–Labor parties, respectively. Lawrence defeated his primary opponent Rachel Davis by over 81 points, and Brown won his primary uncontested. In the general election, Lawrence won in a landslide with over 84.5% of the total vote.
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March 19, 2024
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Minnesota House of Representatives District 27B | ||||||||||||||||
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 Results by precinct
No votes
Lawrence: 70–80%
80–90%
>90%
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Background
editDistrict 27B is located north of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area and covers parts of the Anoka, Isanti, Mille Lacs, and Sherburne counties.[1] On January 10, 2024, Kurt Daudt, the Republican representative for District 27B, announced his resignation from the Minnesota House of Representatives, effective February 11.[2] He did not immediately provide a reason for his resignation.[3] Two days after his resignation became effective, governor Tim Walz selected March 19 as the date of the special election to replace Daudt and February 29 as the date of the special primaries, if they were to be held.[1]
Primaries
editRepublican Party
edit
On February 8, 2024, farmer and businessman Bryan Lawrence announced his campaign for the District 27B seat, claiming that the "trifecta" of Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party control in the state government "has led to a trifecta of assaults on our central Minnesota way of life".[4][5] Lawrence previously served on the Baldwin Township board, including as its chair, and had run for the House before in 1996.[5] Mechanical adjuster and former caregiver Rachel Davis was also a candidate for the Republican primary, campaigning on a smaller government that follows the Constitution of the United States. She had previously ran against Daudt in a primary challenge in 2022.[6] On February 10, Lawrence received the endorsement of the Minnesota Republican Party.[7] Davis was not present at the endorsement convention after a screening committee for the Republicans revealed that, since 2022, she was on probation for driving under the influence.[8] Davis decided to continue her campaign after failing to receive the endorsement from the Minnesota Republican Party.[6] In the primary election, Lawrence defeated Davis in a landslide, receiving nearly 91% of the vote.[9]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Lawrence | 1,277 | 90.95% | |
| Rachel Davis | 127 | 9.05% | |
| Total votes | 1,404 | 100.00% | |
Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
editBrad Brown, a small business owner and retired diesel mechanic,[10][11] was the only candidate in the Democratic primary and won unopposed.[12] He had previously challenged Daudt in the 2018, 2020, and 2022 elections.[11]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Brown | 98 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 98 | 100.00% | |
General election
editThroughout the election, Lawrence campaigned on anti-abortion policies, controlling Minnesota's budget, and protecting gun ownership.[5] In a landslide victory, Lawrence won with over 84% of the total vote.[13] Brown congratulated Lawrence, stating that he hoped Lawrence "has continuity and does a good job in the House".[11] Lawrence was sworn in on April 2, 2024,[14] and the DFL retained their majority in the House, having 70 seats compared to the 64 seats controlled by the Republicans.[5] He was elected to a full term in the House in the regular 2024 election.[15]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bryan Lawrence | 1,752 | 84.52% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Brad Brown | 319 | 15.39% | |
| Write-in | 2 | 0.10% | ||
| Total votes | 2,073 | 100.00% | ||
References
edit- 1 2 Mohr, Jonathan (February 13, 2024). "Walz sets date for special election to fill former speaker's seat". Minnesota House of Representatives. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ↑ Mohr, Jonathan (January 10, 2024). "Former House speaker Daudt announces resignation". Minnesota House of Representatives. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ↑ Krauss, Louis (January 11, 2024). "Former House Speaker Kurt Daudt to leave Legislature in February". Minnesota Star Tribune. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Bryan Lawrence of Baldwin running for District 27B seat". Union-Times. February 8, 2024. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 MPR News staff (March 21, 2024). "Republicans retain Minnesota House seat in special election". Brainerd Dispatch. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- 1 2 Boyle, Jim (February 16, 2024). "Davis takes her campaign to special primary set for Feb. 29". Union-Times. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Baldwin's Bryan Lawrence wins republican endorsement for District 27B". Union-Times. February 15, 2024. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ↑ Boyle, Jim (February 23, 2024). "House 27B candidate faces potential jail time for probation violation". Elk River Star News. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Results for State Representative District 27B". Minnesota Secretary of State. March 1, 2024. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- ↑ "Brad Brown". Minnesota Historical Election Archive. University of Minnesota. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
- 1 2 3 Krauss, Louis (March 19, 2024). "Republican wins election to replace Kurt Daudt in Minnesota House". Star Tribune. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Boyle, Jim (March 4, 2024). "Lawrence cruised to victory in House 27B Special Primary". Union-Times. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Mohr, Jonathan (March 20, 2024). "Republican candidate easily wins District 27B special election". Minnesota House of Representatives. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ↑ Jungling, Caleb (April 2, 2024). "Release: Bryan Lawrence is Sworn in as the new State Representative for District 27B after Special Election". Minnesota House of Representatives. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
- ↑ "Bryan Lawrence reclaims District 27B". Union-Times. November 5, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Results for State Representative District 27B". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved October 18, 2024.