Republican state Rep. Krista Knudsen will serve a second term in St. Paul, defeating DFL candidate Dan Mitchell in the race to represent House District 5A.
She was first elected in 2022 after a term as Lake Shore mayor. She served eight years on the Lake Shore City Council prior. Knudsen and her husband own Cowboys, a bar and grill in Lake Shore on the edge of the district.
District 5A stretches from the western shore of Gull Lake in southern Cass County to cover parts of Becker, Hubbard and Wadena counties, including the cities of Park Rapids, Frazee, Menahga and Pine River.
Mitchell, 57, also hails from the eastern edges of the district, living in rural Pequot Lakes. The retired Air Force veteran and cybersecurity professional is new to politics, and this is is first candidacy.
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