Former state lawmaker, incumbent advance in Duluth mayoral primary
DULUTH — Two-term Mayor Emily Larson and former Minnesota lawmaker Roger Reinert advance to the Nov. 7 general election, in Duluth’s first competitive mayoral race in 16 years.
Reinert received about two-thirds of the vote at 63%, with Larson, the city’s first female leader, capturing just over a third, according to unofficial results from the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State.
The other three candidates captured about 2% of the votes combined. About a quarter of the 54,000 registered voters in Duluth cast a ballot for mayor Tuesday.
The cost and availability of housing, ire with the current administration and, of course, potholes all drove Duluthians to the polls Tuesday in the only municipal primary election held in Minnesota.
Lincoln Park resident Tracy Curnow typically doesn’t vote in primary elections, “but this year I just feel so strongly.”
The cost of renting in Duluth has gotten “outrageously expensive,” and she’s hoping a Reinert win would mean change.
“It’s time to have someone new step in,” Curnow said.
Unhappiness with Larson is what spurred western Duluth resident Brian Wark to vote, he said, with the city too focused on tourism and not enough on its residents.
“This town has gone too far,” he said. “Get this mayor out of here.”
Some residents sought to re-elect Larson for prioritizing the environment and protecting the city’s most vulnerable populations.
Sonja Englund, who voted for Larson in eastern Duluth, said she’s happy with Larson’s efforts to reduce climate change and make the city a more welcoming place.
“We have been such a great safe haven,” she said.
Lincoln Park’s Matt Oman said Larson “knows what she’s doing” and felt comfortable electing her to a third term.
Lots of voters didn’t want to disclose whom they chose to lead the city, citing the similarities of Larson’s and Reinert’s platforms and Duluth’s small-town nature.
Kris Kolenz, voting near the University of Minnesota Duluth, said she went back and forth between the two.
“What a good thing to have two good candidates,” she said.
Larson, a social worker who has served on Duluth’s City Council, received endorsements from the Duluth DFL and Gov. Tim Walz. Reinert, a member of the U.S. Navy Reserve and a former Duluth City Councilor who has served in both houses in the state Legislature, snagged the support of the city’s police and firefighter unions. (Reinert announced in May he would not seek the DFL endorsement, after initially pursuing it.)
The two are close in fundraising: Roughly $47,000 has been donated to Reinert and $53,000 to Larson through the end of July. Larson easily outraised each of her opponents in the 2015 and 2019 elections.
Incumbent Arik Forsman, Lynn Nephew, Jenna Yeakle and Miranda Pacheco will compete for two City Council at-large seats, out of a pool of eight. Forsman was the top vote-getter with 29%.
The city’s elected officials need to strike a balance between preserving Duluth’s natural resources and attracting new businesses, said Lisa Wentworth, voting in Duluth’s northern Kenwood neighborhood. She chose Forsman for his ability to do that, she said.
“Arik has a great heart for Duluth, and balances that well with being business-minded,” Wentworth said.
Advancing in the City Council fourth district race are Tara Swenson and Howie Hanson, narrowly edging out Salaam Witherspoon.
Henry Banks and Loren Martell, who have both run for Duluth School Board seats previously, will compete for the board’s third district seat.
Staff writer Christa Lawler contributed to this story.