ST. PAUL — Gov. Tim Walz issued writs of special election for two open House seats in Woodbury and St. Paul following Nov. 4 wins for two former representatives.

Rep. Kaohly Vang Her leaves House seat 64A for her new role as St. Paul Mayor, and Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger leaves House seat 47A to serve Woodbury in the Senate — replacing former Sen. Nicole Mitchell. The primary is set for Dec. 16, and the elections are set for Jan. 27, according to the writs.

The two seats are expected to stay blue as Her won her seat in 2024 with 83% of the vote, and Hemmingsen-Jaeger won her seat with 61% of the vote. With the vacancies, the House currently has 67 Republicans and 65 Democrats — previously, the House was tied. The Senate has a 34-33 DFL majority.

Two DFL wins on Jan. 27 would return t

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