More Republicans than Democrats running for Minnesota House of Representatives for the first time since 2014

There are 284 candidates running in Minnesota’s August 13 House primaries. Among them are 141 Democrats and 143 Republicans. This was the first time since 2014 that there were more Republicans running for the State House than Democrats.

The average number of candidates running in primary elections for the State House from 2010 to 2022 was 283.6. During the same time frame, the average number of Democrats was 143.9 and the average number of Republicans was 139.7.

All 134 seats of the Minnesota House of Representatives are up for election in 2024. The Minnesota State Senate is not holding elections.

There are 22 contested primaries, including seven Democratic primaries and 15 Republican primaries in 2024. This was a record high for Republicans and below average for Democrats. Between 2010 and 2022, the average number of contested Democratic Minnesota House primaries was 10.1, and the average number of contested Republican primaries was 8.7.

There were 114 total incumbents running for re-election and among them seven, or about 6.1% faced primary challengers. In state legislative primaries from 2010 to 2022, the average percentage of contested incumbents was 7.6%.

Twenty incumbents did not file for re-election in 2024, including 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans. Between 2010 to 2022, the average number of retiring House Democrats was 11.1 and the average number of retiring House Republicans was 10.4. The average number of House retirements for both parties during those years was 21.6.

Minnesota has had a Democratic trifecta since 2023, and as of July 2024, Democrats had a 68 – 64 majority in the House, and there were two vacancies.

Since 1992, Minnesota has had four years of Democratic trifectas and no Republican trifectas.