2026 Election: West St. Paul Voter’s Guide

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While it’s not a presidential election, there will be a full ballot in 2026 with lots of seats up for grabs representing West St. Paul. Our voter’s guide starts with who’s going to run.

Timing: Candidates can announce they’re running at any time, but it becomes official when they file. Once the filing period and withdrawal deadline pass, then we know who’s on the ballot and it’s on to the election.

• Filing to run: We’ll track confirmed candidates as we approach the filing period, which is May 19-June 2 (the withdrawal deadline is June 4). That filing period applies to all races, except school board, which is July 14-28 (with a withdrawal deadline of July 30) and has no primary.
• Voting: A primary, if necessary, will be August 11. The general election is November 3.

So who’s going to run?

West St. Paul

Let’s start with local, non-partisan positions in West St. Paul, which include the mayor and one Council seat in each of the three wards. The mayor serves a two-year term and City Council members serve a four-year term. Use this city map to find out which ward you live in.

What’s it like to be on City Council? Read our interview with former West St. Paul City Council Members Julie Eastman and Darlene Lewis.

Mayor

• Dave Napier (incumbent) – Running, officially filed – Napier has served four terms as mayor, first elected in 2018, and previously served a term and a half as a City Council member.

City Council Ward 1

• Pat Armon (incumbent) – Running, officially filed – Armon has served two non-consecutive terms on City Council (elected in 2012 and 2022).

City Council Ward 2

• John Justen (incumbent) – Running, officially filed – Justen has served two terms on City Council, first elected in 2018.

City Council Ward 3

• Wendy Berry (incumbent) – Running, officially filed (campaign site) – Berry has served two terms on City Council, first elected in 2018.

ISD 197 School Board

The seven-member, non-partisan ISD 197 School Board has staggered, four-year terms, with three seats on the ballot in 2026. In 2025, the board voted to move their elections to even years, extending existing terms by one year. (The filing period for school board is July 14-28.)

• Marcus Hill (incumbent) – Running – Appointed in 2020, Hill has served one full term, first elected in 2021.
• Sarah Larsen (incumbent) – Running – Larsen has served one full term, first elected in 2021.
• Jon Vaupel (incumbent) – Running – Vaupel has served one full term, first elected in 2021.

Dakota County

There are several contested races in Dakota County, which include the non-partisan positions of county commissioner, county attorney, and county sheriff (all four-year terms). While attorney and sheriff are county-wide positions, commissioners represent districts and West St. Paul is in District 2.

County Attorney

• Kathryn Keena (incumbent) – Running, officially filed (campaign site) – Appointed in 2021, Keena has served one full term after being elected in 2022.
• Jeffrey Sheridan – Running, officially filed (campaign site) – Ran for the seat in 2022 and lost in a four-way primary.

County Sheriff

• Bobby Lambert – Running, officially filed (campaign site) – Former Mendota Heights and Farmington police officer, Lambert has worked in the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office since 2023.
• Joe Leko (incumbent) – Running, officially filed (campaign site) – Leko has served one term as sheriff, first elected in 2022.

County Commissioner District 2

• Joe Atkins (incumbent) – Running, officially filed – Atkins has served three terms, first elected in 2016.

Minnesota Legislature

West St. Paul is divided into two separate legislative districts, with the southern half in District 53 and the northern half in District 65. House seats are two years and Senate seats are four years.

House District 53A

• Mary Frances Clardy (incumbent) – Endorsed by DFL, officially filed (campaign site) – Clardy has served two terms, first elected in 2022.
• AJ Gubash – Running as GOP, officially filed (campaign site) – A veteran with a legal background, this is Gubash’s first run for office.

House District 65B

• Sebastian Ellefson – Endorsed by DFL, officially filed (campaign site) – A West Side lawyer, this is Ellefson’s first run for office.
• Elena Mena – Running as DFL, officially filed

Senate District 53

• Paul Cumings – Endorsed by DFL, officially filed (campaign site) – Currently working for the Minnesota House DFL, Cumings was elected to the South St. Paul School Board in 2024.
• Todd Podgorski – Endorsed by GOP, officially filed (campaign site) – A Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy, Podgorski is serving his fourth term on the South St. Paul City Council.

Senate District 65

• Robyn Gulley – Endorsed by DFL, officially filed (campaign site) – Gulley has served two terms on the West St. Paul City Council, first elected in 2020.
• Natasha Bennett – Running as DFL, officially filed
• Rocco – Running as GOP, officially filed – Potentially Christopher Rocco, known for calling for a moment of silence for Derek Chauvin at the GOP convention.

U.S. House

West St. Paul is in the second Congressional district. House members are elected to two-year terms.

• Abdi Abdulle – Running as DFL, officially filed (campaign site)
• Kaela Berg – Running as DFL, officially filed (campaign site)
• Matt Klein – Running as DFL, officially filed (campaign site)
• Matt Little – Endorsed by DFL, officially filed (campaign site)
• Hugh McTavish – Running as DFL, officially filed (campaign site)
• Christopher Mosel – Running as DFL, offically filed
• Eric Pratt – Endorsed by GOP, officially filed (campaign site)

Other Offices

There are a number of other offices on the ballot in 2026, including U.S. Senate, Minnesota Governor, and other state-wide positions. As these state-wide races are covered widely, we won’t focus on them.

Details

A few reminders:

• Filing period: Nothing is official until the filing period ends and the withdrawal deadline passes.
• People can change their minds: Even though we’ve reached out to confirm with candidates if they’re running, people can and do change their minds.
• What about: Are we missing someone? Let us know if we’re missing a candidate.

Why Talk Who’s Running?

The topic of who’s running has often been a subject of gossip and whispers. But it’s good for our local democracy to have an open conversation about who’s running.

• If you like who’s running, you can start to build positive buzz.
• If you don’t like who’s running, maybe you should talk to your neighbors and find someone else (or you should run!).
• If a race is uncontested—and more than a third of West St. Paul races have been uncontested in the past 30 years—then maybe it’s time to start recruiting. Contested elections are good for our democracy.
• And just because someone is running, that doesn’t mean you or someone else can’t or shouldn’t run. Our democracy is strengthened by participation.

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