Hundreds of Babbitt residents turned out for Tuesday’s primary election, held at the Babbitt Municipal Building and via absentee ballot in the weeks preceding.
Babbitt chose Mike Lindell as the Republican candidate for Minnesota governor over Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth and state GOP-endorsed candidate Kendall Qualls, with each candidate respectively receiving 54.64%, 22.95% and 15.30% of Babbitt’s votes.
State residents ultimately disagreed, and Lisa Demuth will oppose Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) candidate and current U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar in the general election on Tuesday, November 3.
Local Democratic voters fell in line with other state residents in the DFL primary for Klobuchar’s soon-to-be-open US Senate seat, selecting lieutenant governor Peggy Flanaganat60.14%overMinnesota Congressional District 02 representative Angie Craig.
Babbitt’s Republican primary voters chose incumbent Pete Stauber at 90.22% for November’s Minnesota Congressional District 08 race.
For the same race, DFL primary voters provided candidate Trina Swanson 58.39% of their votes, besting the 35.04% vote share received by Luke Gulbranson.
Stauber and Swanson will face off in November.
Precinct voters additionally selected incumbent Keith Ellison as the DFL candidate for attorney general, Scott Jensen as the Republican candidate for state auditor and Wendy Phillips as the Republican candidate for secretary of state. Statewide Ellison and Jensen picked up wins while Phillips lost to Tad Jude.
Running to retain their seats in the state legislature to represent Babbitt will be Rep. Roger Skraba (R-Ely) and Sen. Grant Hauschild (DFL-Hermantown).
Skraba is being challenged by DFLer Aaron Kania.
Skraba was first elected in 2022, beating incumbent DFLer Rob Ecklund by 15 votes. His 2024 win over then International Falls mayor Harley Droba in a decisive 3,664-vote margin.
Current Babbitt Mayor Andrea Zupancich (R) has a rematch with Hauschild, who was first elected in 2022 by 703 votes.
Also in the November election, there will be city council and the mayor’s seat on the ballot.
Currentcitycouncilmemberand former mayor Duane Lossing will seek re-election to lead Babbitt’s government. Former long-time Babbitt clerk-treasurer Cathy Hoheisel will run against Lossing.
Claire High, Jacob Myers, Terrance Switajewski, Shyanne Cersine, Glenn Anderson, and current council member Joe White will compete for two seats on the city council. Longtime council member Jim Lassi did not file this year.
