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  Carter: >90% 80–90% 70–80% 60–70% 50–60% 40–50% 30–40% Guerin: 30–40% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Minnesota |
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The city of Saint Paul, Minnesota held an election on November 2, 2021, to elect the mayor. It was held with ranked-choice voting, [1] and there was no primary election. Few candidates filed to challenge incumbent mayor Melvin Carter III, and he easily won a second term with over 60% of first-preference votes. [2] [3] [4]
Incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter III announced he would seek a second term as mayor on January 26, 2021. [5] During his first term, Mayor Carter presided over the unrest in the Twin Cities after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis; making policing and public safety top of mind for voters in Saint Paul. Additionally, voters were concerned about issues like homelessness, a possible recession, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. [5]
Carter campaigned on achievements like an initiative to provide newborns with a college savings account, [6] [5] a pilot program that distributed guaranteed income for some low-income families, [5] and rethinking public safety. [6] Despite entering the race unopposed, Carter was facing several opponents by the close of the filing deadline on August 10, 2021. [7]
In total, Carter faced seven challengers, including: Paul Langenfeld, vice president of the Board of Directors of Highland District Council [8] and founder of a non-profit that caters to people with disabilities; [9] Dino Guerin, former St. Paul District Fire Chief St. Paul City Councilman and Ramsey County commissioner; [7] Dora Jones-Robinson, the executive director of Mentoring Young Adults and founder of Guns Down St. Paul; [7] Miki Frost, father of five and founder of "Truce Center"; [7] Scott Wergin, a contractor; [7] Bill Hosko, a downtown coffee shop proprietor art gallery owner and architectural illustrator; [7] and Abu Nayeem, a data analyst who had previously run for St. Paul City Council in 2019. [7]
Most of Carter's opponents supported lowering crime rates [7] and implementing better social systems in the city of St. Paul. [7]
Carter's opponents failed to match him in endorsements—the mayor won the Saint Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party's endorsement on July 18, 2021, [10] as well as endorsements from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flannagan—but Paul Langenfeld was able to self-finance [7] his campaign to match Mayor Carter's. [7]
State officials
City officials
Labor unions
Political parties
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Melvin Carter III (incumbent) | 36,426 | 61.63 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dino Guerin | 7,454 | 12.61 | |
| Nonpartisan | Paul Langenfeld | 5,298 | 8.96 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bill Hosko | 3,423 | 5.79 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dora Jones-Robinson | 2,357 | 3.99 | |
| Nonpartisan | Miki Frost | 2,069 | 3.50 | |
| Nonpartisan | Abu Nayeem | 1,516 | 2.57 | |
| Nonpartisan | Scott Evans Wergin | 355 | 0.60 | |
| Write-in | 205 | 0.35 | ||
| Total votes | 59,103 | 100.00 | ||
