Here’s who’s running for St. Paul Mayor in 2025: List

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - St. Paul’s next mayor will be tasked with overseeing the rebound of a downtown that has seen a sluggish recovery for businesses since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, dealing with the fallout of an unprecedented cyberattack and a continuing homeless crisis.

Despite the challenges ahead, a total of five candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to step into the position and lead the state’s capitol city.

The winner of the upcoming election will serve a three-year term, as opposed to four, after St. Paul opted to host its elections during even-numbered years, moving forward to align with municipal elections beginning in 2028.

On Tuesday, three main contenders spoke during a debate hosted by MPR News to outline their positions ahead of voters heading to the polls.

Here's a look at who is running for St. Paul mayor.

Melvin Carter, DFL/incumbent

• Campaign website

Carter will be seeking his third term as the leader of St. Paul after defeating Chris Coleman, who had the position since 2006, during the 2017 election.

In 2017, Carter earned 50.86% of the vote over Pat Harris and Dai Thao. During the following election in 2021, he earned 61.63% of the vote to beat out Dino Guerin, Paul Langenfeld and Bill Hosko and earn his second term.

Unsurprisingly, Carter’s office says his next campaign will focus on problems that have already plagued his tenure – tools to address the fentanyl and homeless crisis, revitalizing downtown and providing quality housing, better paying union jobs for residents and an increase in accessible public spaces.

Carter has also been at the forefront of the cyberattack that occurred over the summer, pledging additional infrastructure to ensure any repeated attacks could be handled.

However, throughout his tenure, Carter has sparred with his city council over issues such as rent control measures, a tax levy to offer free childcare for certain residents and how the city’s revenues should be budgeted.

Kaohly Vang Her, DFL House Representative

• Campaign page

A former policy director for Carter during his first term, State Rep. Kaohly Vang Her currently represents the Macalester-Groveland, Cathedral Hill, Lexington-Hamilton and Merriam Park neighborhoods in District 64A of the Minnesota Legislature.

"I have a vision for what my city should look like. In that, I will be building affordable and abundant housing, a thriving economy, having safe neighborhoods, and defending our neighbors," Her said at a candidate forum earlier in October.

Noting on her campaign page that "our city is at a standstill," Her has said she will prioritize collaboration and innovation, while finding a proactive approach to solutions.

"My day one will be working on with our partners on structuring an urban wealth fund and how to leverage our city’s assets in order to build this fund," Her told FOX 9’s Soyoung Kim. "Then we have this pool of money that we can use to fund some of these activities that we are looking for. My background is in investments and finance. That’s something I’m very comfortable with."

Her received criticism during the previous legislative session by GOP lawmakers after she said her family "broke the law to come here" during a debate surrounding MinnesotaCare cuts to undocumented immigrants.

She later clarified that she is a documented immigrant in Minnesota legally, releasing a statement saying that her speech had been ‘twisted into anti-immigrant clickbait’.

Yan Chen, business owner and scientist

• Campaign page

According to her campaign, Chen describes herself as an "immigrant, a scientist, and a business owner," who first immigrated to the U.S. when she was 19 years old.

Although light on specific policy details, Chen says her day-to-day focus would be, "reducing property taxes, focusing on safety and core services and empowering the community."

During a candidate forum, Chen said she does not support St. Paul Public Schools' $37 million referendum, noting that schools should be required to meet "certain performance levels" before receiving additional funding.

The district is facing a $51.1 million budget shortfall in 2026, and a referendum to increase property taxes will go before voters in November.

If approved, the measure would add approximately $37.2 million per year in additional revenue.

The estimated additional property tax for a median-valued home in St. Paul – valued at $289,200 – would be approximately $26 per month or $309 per year, according to district estimates.

Adam Dullinger

• Campaign page

On his campaign page, Dullinger describes himself as an engineer, a University of Minnesota alumni and "problem solver" who has been a Twin Cities resident the past six years.

According to campaign materials, issues he would address include organized labor, public housing and bicycle infrastructure.

Mike Hilborn

• Campaign page

A business owner who previously ran unsuccessfully for the Minnesota House of Representatives as a Republican, Hilborn says he has the "experience, vision, and a lifelong commitment to St. Paul."

According to his campaign materials, issues he would address include lowering taxes, homelessness and law and order.

Dig deeper:

Neither appeared at the candidate debate on Oct. 14.

What's next:

Election Day is on Nov. 4, 2025.

St. PaulPoliticsEconomyJobsMinnesotaHomeless CrisisBusiness