DFLer Wins State Senate Seat From St. Paul
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Former Democratic state lawmaker Mary Jo McGuire has won an open state Senate seat in a special election.
The Secretary of State's website says that with 100 percent of precincts reporting, McGuire had more than 80 percent of the vote. Republican Greg Copeland received nearly 20 percent.
The district covers St. Paul and Falcon Heights. It's been represented by a Democrat since the Legislature adopted party designations in the 1970s.
The seat was vacated by former Sen. Ellen Anderson, who resigned when Gov. Mark Dayton named her to head the Public Utilities Commission. Anderson served almost two decades in the Senate.
McGuire served in the Minnesota House from 1988 to 2002.
The election does not change control of the Senate, where Republicans hold the majority with 37 of 67 seats.
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