Incumbents advance in Hibbing mayoral, City Council primaries

HIBBING — Hibbing Mayor Pete Hyduke and City Councilor Justin Fosso and their top primary challengers Tuesday, Aug. 11, will advance to the general election.

Hyduke earned 70% of the vote (1,754 votes). He'll be joined on the November ballot by Marisa Allen, who received 414 votes, or 17%.

At-large City Councilor Justin Fosso will face off against engineer and coach Mark Borland.

Borland led the field with 851 votes or 34%. Fosso received 733 votes or 29%.

Both candidates thanked their supporters on social media Wednesday morning.

"Securing Hibbing’s future for generations to come is a bigger challenge than any one person can handle, but together I believe we can overcome any obstacle," Borland wrote.

Results are unofficial until canvassed and certified by the city canvassing board.

Hibbing, like other Iron Range cities, is no stranger to economic upheaval and shifting political winds.

About 600 steelworkers were laid off in March 2025 as Cleveland-Cliffs idled operations at Hibbing Taconite Co. in Hibbing and Minorca Mine in Virginia — and those jobs haven't yet returned. Layoffs also occurred in April at Triumph Twist Drill in Hibbing, and the Heliene solar panel manufacturing plant in nearby Mountain Iron announced 93 layoffs just last week.

Meanwhile, a long-planned redevelopment project is underway, changing the face of Hibbing's downtown.

Election judges noted Tuesday that there was steady turnout throughout the city.

Hibbing City Clerk Candie Seppala served as head election judge for the city's Precinct 1. She said unlike a typical year, her poll workers didn't experience any lulls or downtime while volunteering at the National Guard armory.

"I will tell you this," she said. "After doing this for 33 years, normally the primary is very slow and we are very steady today."

Josie Sevillano used the same word to describe the consistent voter turnout she saw at the polling location at Range Regional Airport. She said in other years, she'd seen afternoon turnout around the 200-person mark. At 3:45 p.m., the count at Sevillano's precinct was at 415.

Kelly Grinsteinner spent her day at the polling location at Irongate Plaza, where she noted the "steady flow of avid voters" she saw throughout the day. At about 5 p.m., her precinct reported 513 ballots cast.

Grinsteinner said the consistent voter turnout points to a desire to get involved.

"It shows me," she said, "that people are paying attention to politics more."