Overview and Live Results: March 11 State House Special Elections

State House vacancies in Iowa and Minnesota will be filled Tuesday. There is also a special State Senate primary in Alabama.

Minnesota State House District 40B

The evenly-divided Minnesota State House has 67 Republicans and 66 Democrats. The District 40B vacancy will be filled Tuesday. Members serve two-year terms; the next regular elections are in 2026.

Located within Ramsey County on the northern side of the Minneapolis - Saint Paul area, District 40B was last represented by Democrat Jamie Becker-Finn. She won the seat by a 68% to 32% margin in 2022.

Becker-Finn retired in 2024. Democrat Curtis Johnson was elected by a similarly wide 65% to 35% margin over Republican Paul Wikstrom. However, Johnson was subsequently ruled ineligible to serve as he did not meet residency requirements.

Wikstrom returns as the GOP nominee. Democrats have nominated David Gottfried.

Polls close at 9:00 PM Eastern Time.

As the results from the last two elections here show, this district has a heavy Democratic lean. As such, the chamber will likely again be tied at 67 members each.

There was quite a bit of turmoil leading to Tuesday's election. Originally scheduled by Gov. Tim Walz (D) for January 28, the State Supreme Court canceled it, ruling that date was too soon after the vacancy.

Republicans tried to leverage the 67-66 advantage to take control of the chamber in January. However, Democrats boycotted to prevent a quorum from being reached. There was a court battle over how many members were needed for a quorum, with the State Supreme Court ruling that a majority of a full chamber (i.e, 68 members) was required.

As a result, the parties negotiated a power-sharing agreement, which will likely remain in effect unless Wikstrom pulls off a win for the GOP.

Iowa State House District 100

Republicans hold a 66-33 edge over Democrats in the Iowa House of Representatives. There is one vacancy. Members serve two-year terms; the next elections are in 2026.

District 100 is in the very southeast corner of the state, bordering both Illinois and Missouri. Republican Martin Graber died in January. Graber won his final election in 2024 by a 68% to 32% margin over an independent challenger. In 2022, Graber defeated Democrat Rebecca Bowker by 61% to 39%

The nominees are Republican Blaine Watkins and Democrat Nannette Griffin.

Polls close at 9:00 PM Eastern Time.

While Republicans are favored to hold the seat, The Downballot notes that "in late January, Democrat Mike Zimmer won a shocking upset in the state's 35th Senate District, which is politically and demographically similar to the 100th House District. Democrats hope that the same enthusiasm that powered Zimmer to his victory will also buoy Griffin. Republicans currently hold a 66-33 edge in the chamber, so a Democratic flip would end the GOP's two-thirds supermajority."

Alabama State Senate District 5 (Primary)

Republicans hold a dominant 26-8 margin over Democrats in the Alabama Senate. There is one vacancy in District 5. Members serve four-year terms; the next elections are in 2026.

District 5 spans from the western part of the Birmingham area to the Mississippi border. Republican Greg Reed resigned at the beginning of the year to take a position in Gov. Kate Ivey's administration. Reed first won his seat in 2010 and faced no opposition in his three reelection campaigns.

Matt Woods is unopposed for the Republican nomination. Ryan Cagle and Sarah Watkins will compete in the Democratic primary. The general election is scheduled for June 24.

Polls close at 8:00 PM Eastern Time.

Upcoming Scheduled Elections

• April 1
  • Omaha Mayor Primary
    • General Election May 13
  • Wisconsin Supreme Court
• April 8
  • St. Louis Mayor
• June 10
  • New Jersey Gubernatorial Primary
• June 17
  • Virginia Gubernatorial Primary
• June 24
  • New York City Mayor Primary

Upcoming Special Elections

• March 25
  • Mississippi State House Districts 23 and 82
    • Runoff (if needed) April 22
  • Pennsylvania State Senate District 36 and State House District 35
  • South Carolina State House District 113
• April 1
  • Florida Congressional Districts 1 and 6
  • Florida State Senate District 19 and State House Districts 3 and 32 (Primaries)
    • General Election June 10
  • Oklahoma State House Districts 71 and 74
    • Runoff (if needed) May 13; General Election June 10
  • South Carolina State House District 50 (Primary)
    • Runoff (if needed) April 15; General Election June 3
• April 15
  • Massachusetts State House District 6th Essex (Primary)
    • General Election May 13
  • Mississippi State Senate District 18
  • Oakland Mayor
• May 13
  • Oklahoma State Senate District 8