Former Brooklyn Park City Council member Wynfred Russell is seeking a primary rematch against Minnesota state Rep. Huldah Hiltsley in the deep blue District 38A.
Russell lost to Hiltsley by 50 votes in a hotly contested Democratic primary in 2024, following the retirement of Mike Nelson who had served for 22 years. After securing the party nomination, Hiltsley went on to win 65% of the vote against Republican Brad Olson in November becoming the first Kenyan-born state legislator in the country.
Russell announced his rematch campaign via social media Monday evening via a flyer advertising a campaign launch for Jan. 24 with the words “REAL LEADERSHIP REAL RESULTS” and with state Sen. Susan Pha as the “special guest speaker.” Senate District 38’s delegation of three legislators comprises two Hmong women, Pha in the Senate and Samantha Vang in the House (38B), and Kenyan American Hiltsley as the other House member (38A).
Mshale’s attempts to reach both Pha and Russell for comment before publication were unsuccessful. In the 2024 race between the two African immigrants, Pha supported Russell.
In that 2024 race, Hiltsley and Russell vied for the DFL endorsement but DFL delegates at the party convention could not come to a consensus on who to endorse. After two rounds of voting, neither reached the 60% threshold required for a party endorsement.
In a WhatsApp statement to Mshale when reached for comment on the latest challenge from Russell, Hiltsley said she will let her legislative record in the one year she has been in the legislature speak for itself.
“In just one year at the legislature I was able to author and pass three bills with a direct impact on my district and the state,” Hiltsley said. “I was the author of HF3019 which appropriated $80,000 for the Osseo sesquicentennial and that bill passed as part of the legacy bonding bill.”
Hiltsley said she was the chief author of the homelessness prevention assistance program which appropriated $8 million to address and prevent family homelessness “so that we are stabilizing families and ensuring that a temporary crisis does not become a permanent loss of housing.”
“I was also the co-author of a bill to enhance renter protection statewide which passed and is now law,” Hiltsley said, referring to the new requirement for cities to provide a link to the Attorney General’s Landlord-Tenant Guide with any renewal of rental license, registration, or certificate of occupancy.
Data from the Center for Effective Lawmaking which tracks legislators’ effectiveness and performance, shows it is rare for bills sponsored by first-term legislators to become law.
The state’s major pollical parties first major political activity for 2026 will be the precinct causes which will be held on February 3. At the caucuses is where delegates for upcoming conventions are selected. You can get caucus information for your area by visiting the Minnesota Secretary of State.
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About Tom Gitaa, Editor-in-Chief
Born and raised in Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, Tom is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Mshale which has been reporting on the news and culture of African immigrants in the United States since 1995. He has a BA in Business from Metro State University and a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He was the original host of Talking Drum, the signature current affairs show on the African Broadcasting Network (ABN-America), which was available nationwide in the United States via the Dish Network satellite service. On the show, he interviewed Nobel laureates such as 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, the first woman from Africa to win the peace prize and heads of states. Tom has served and chaired various boards including Global Minnesota (formerly Minnesota International Center), the sixth largest World Affairs Council in the United States. He has previously served as the first Black President of the Board of Directors at Books for Africa. He also serves on the board of the Minnesota Multicultural Media Consortium. He has previously served two terms on the board of the United Nations Association. An avid runner, he retired from running full marathons after turning 50 and now only focuses on training for half marathons.
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