Most incumbents lead Minnesota’s nine contested judicial elections

Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Natalie Hudson and Justice Karl Procaccini both held commanding leads early Wednesday in the only two contested races on the state’s high court.

Throughout the whole statewide judiciary, only nine sitting judges were up for election against challengers, and some of those races were too close to call as 1 a.m. approached. Six of the contests involved district court judges in the Twin Cities, central Minnesota and up north.

On the state’s Court of Appeals, incumbent Judge Diane Bratvold was leading comfortably over challenger Jonathan Woolsey of Chaska. She began serving on the Appeals Court in 2016 and was elected to a six-year term in 2018.

Hudson, appointed as the court’s first Black chief justice last fall, was challenged by Stephen Emery, who has run for multiple offices. With 87% of precincts reporting, she garnered 63.5% of the vote. Hudson served as an associate justice on the Supreme Court since 2015 and previously served 13 years on the state’s Court of Appeals.

Procaccini, appointed in August 2023 by Gov. Tim Walz, was running against lawyer Matthew R. Hanson, who two years ago ran unsuccessfully against Scott County Judge Charles Webber. Procaccini served as general counsel to Walz for four years beginning in 2019, helping the governor navigate the pandemic.

Hanson stressed in his campaign that he would be independent from the governor’s office. With 83% of precincts reporting, he drew 43% of votes to 57% for Procaccini.

Supreme Court Justice Anne McKeig, first appointed in 2016 and elected in 2018, was on the ballot without opposition.

In the Tenth Judicial District, Judge Helen Brosnahan held a lead in her first election after being appointed to the bench by Walz in 2022. Her challenger, Nathan Hansen, is a solo practitioner who received Republican party assistance as the party’s recommended candidate. The Tenth Judicial District covers Anoka, Washington, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Pine, Sherburne and Wright counties.

Hansen trailed Brosnahan by 12 percentage points with 62% of precincts reporting. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School and worked as an assistant county attorney in Olmsted and Dakota counties before becoming a judge. Hansen stressed in his campaign that Brosnahan’s seat should be filled by someone who is popularly elected, not appointed.

In the Second Judicial District, two Ramsey County judges held comfortable leads with 30% of precincts reporting. Judge Timothy Carey attended Mitchell Hamline School of Law and was appointed to the bench by Walz in 2022. Challenger Paul Yang, a first-generation Hmong immigrant, started his own law firm in 2016.

In the second Ramsey County race, Judge Timothy Mulrooney was challenged by Winona Yang, who worked as an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and served as an assistant to a Ramsey County commissioner. Mulrooney gained the seat in 2016 by appointment from former Gov. Mark Dayton. He was elected to a six-year term in 2018. With 30% of precincts reporting, Mulrooney had 59% of the vote.

In the Fourth Judicial District, Hennepin County Judge Matthew Frank has served since 2023, when he was appointed by Walz. Prior to his time on the bench, Frank worked for more than two decades in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. Challenger Christopher Leckrone is a legal and compliance executive. With all precincts reporting, Frank won with 72.5% of the vote.

Voters in the sprawling Seventh Judicial District, which covers 10 counties across central and western Minnesota, had the option to re-elect Judge Timothy Churchwell, who was appointed to the bench in 2017 and elected in 2018. Challenger Joel Novak, an attorney who lives in Alexandria, has run for other offices in the state, including the Seventh Congressional District as a Republican in 2020. With 87% of precincts reporting, Churchwell held a slim lead with 51.2% of the vote.

In a rare open judicial race in northeastern Minnesota, two candidates went head-to-head this November after prevailing in a five-way primary in the Sixth Judicial District. Gunnar Johnson spent much of his career working for the state Attorney General’s Office in northeastern Minnesota and as city attorney for Duluth. He currently works in private practice. The other candidate is Shawn Reed, who worked on contract for the city of Hermantown after college and as a partner and shareholder in three law firms, currently practicing out of his own firm, Bray & Reed, Ltd. With 70% of precincts reporting, Reed was ahead by 8 percentage points.

Staff writers Briana Bierschbach and Rochelle Olson contributed to this report.

Staff writers Briana Bierschbach and Rochelle Olson contributed to this report.