Two new House members headed to St. Paul after special election victories

CORRECTION at 5:48 p.m. -- The original story reversed district numbers for the new members.

Two new members have been elected to join the Minnesota House of Representatives when the 2020 session begins next week.

Paul Novotny, a 30-year member of the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office, won a special election Tuesday in District 30A to replace former Rep. Nick Zerwas, who resigned in December.

Novotny, a Republican, defeated DFL nominee Chad Hobot with 63.4% of the 3,126 votes cast and will represent the cities of Elk River, Big Lake and the surrounding area, northwest of the Twin Cities.

House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt (R-Crown) welcomed Novotny in a statement Wednesday morning.

"We're thrilled to welcome Paul Novotny to the Legislature and to have the House Republican Caucus back to full strength for the 2020 session,” Daudt said. “Paul will be a strong new conservative voice at the Capitol, and his experience in law enforcement will be a welcome addition as the Legislature debates issues like sentencing guidelines and ways to improve public safety." 

Jordan wins in N.E. Minneapolis

In Tuesday’s other special election, Sydney Jordan, the DFL candidate in District 60A, handily defeated Marty Super of the Legal Marijuana Now party, collecting 87% of the 2,149 votes cast.

Jordan, a state director for Save the Boundary Waters, will fill the seat left vacant when Rep. Diane Loeffler passed away in November.

There is no official word yet on when Jordan and Novotny will be sworn in, receive office numbers or committee assignments.

The 2020 session is scheduled to begin at noon Feb. 11. The DFL holds a 75-59 seat advantage in the House.