Edelson poised to defeat tarantula-tossing challenger for Hennepin County Board

Heather Edelson is on track to prevail over Marisa Simonetti — again.

Returns in Tuesday’s election, with all precincts reporting, showed that incumbent Edelson had a significant lead over Simonetti.

Simonetti, a businesswoman, grabbed headlines this summer when police arrested her for reportedly tossing a tarantula at a tenant of her Edina home. Simonetti ran as a Republican, though the contest is nonpartisan.

Edelson, a former three-term DFL representative, first defeated Simonetti in a May special election held after the previous District 6 commissioner resigned to lead a nonprofit. She will represent a district that encompasses Edina, Greenwood, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, Shorewood and Wayzata.

Across Hennepin County, there were 1,495 unprocessed absentee ballots Tuesday evening, but that number of ballots would not be enough to sway the results of any of the County Board races.

Edelson — along with the winners of three other races — is poised to serve a four-year term on the seven-person board. Commissioners will earn $128,336 in 2025.

Incumbent Kevin Anderson is leading the race for District 7, which stretches from Minnetrista to Champlin.

Tuesday’s returns showed Anderson, a former IT professional, ahead of former mixed martial arts athlete Brad Kohler with almost all precincts reporting. Kohler, a gym owner and restaurant manager, garnered attention during the campaign for his criminal record, but he told the Minnesota Star Tribune he has learned from his mistakes.

In the lead-up to the election, Anderson touted his work on the board, from expanding broadband access to the county’s push to end veteran homelessness.

Jeffrey Lunde, the District 1 incumbent, was heading toward victory Tuesday over challenger Gulled Ahmed Badel.

Lunde served as Brooklyn Park’s mayor for a decade before joining the board. During the campaign, he pledged to increase support for veterans facing homelessness, create a team of advocates for crime victims and expand services for students who fell behind during the pandemic, his website states.

Lunde represents the northeast corner of Hennepin County, including Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, New Hope, Osseo and Robbinsdale.

Incumbent Debbie Goettel is on course to again represent voters in District 5, which includes Bloomington, south Eden Prairie, Richfield and part of southwest Minneapolis.

Results Tuesday showed the sitting commissioner poised to beat challenger Jeffrey A. Beck, who ran unsuccessfully for County Board in 2004 and 2014.

Goettel served as Richfield mayor before joining the County Board in 2016. She wrote on her website during this fall’s campaign that she wanted to obtain funding to repair infrastructure, support small businesses and expand transit options.