Hovland Re-Elected Mayor; Swenson, Brindle Back to Council

Jim Hovland was resoundingly re-elected Mayor of Edina, defeated his opponent Linda Masica by nearly 7,500 votes, according to unofficial results from the Minnesota Secretary of State.

Hovland was grateful to Edina residents for wanting him back as Mayor for another four years, saying they truly "boosted me along here when I needed it."

"It makes me feel really great about living in Edina," Hovland said. "It's an overwhelming feeling, really. We've worked hard on this campaign. I love the people of Edina for returning me to the work of being on the Council and being their mayor."

It will be Hovland's third term on the City Council. Hovland said it's hard to speculate as to why Edina residents overwhelmingly supported his campaign, but he suspects it has something to do the with his tendency to stay positive.

"It's in my nature," he said. "My campaign team was telling me all along to stay positive and take the high road. Honestly, negative campaigning isn't something I was interested in doing in the first place."

Council members Ann Swenson and Mary Brindle were also re-elected to their current seats, edging out newcomers Chad Bell and Wayne Dvorak.

Swenson said it was heartening that she, Hovland and Brindle were all returned to the City Council.

"I think the five people on the Council all come from a unique point-of-view and really represent the City of Edina," Swenson said. "I thank everyone who voted for me and will continue to do the best job I can." 

Brindle said she looks forward to continuing the "wonderful projects we already have going" during her next four years on the Council.

"I'm excited about a massive project like Southdale in particular," she said. "I'd just like to tell voters thanks for the last for years and thanks for giving me a chance to continue."

Swenson has served on the Council since 2005, while Brindle has been a member since 2009.

Perhaps most surprisingly, Edina went from three Republicans at the Capitol to three DFL legislators overnight. Melisa Franzen defeated Keith Downey in Senate District 49 and Paul Rosenthal won a close race against Republican Terry Jacobson in House District 49B.

Edina will also have a familiar face representing House District 49A at the Capitol next year, with DFLer Ron Erhardt defeating Republican Bill Glahn to reclaim his former seat.

Erhardt admitted he was surprised by the margin of victory—more than 10 percentage points—saying he expected a much closer race with his Republican opponent.

"It shows that swing voters in Edina really examined the two candidates and wanted someone more in-tune with the district," Erhardt said. "As a former Republican who got out of the way when the party kept moving further to the right, I think I just fit what the district wants."

HISTORICAL DATA

Prior to redistricting in February, Edina was part of Minnesota Senate District 41 and House Districts 41A and 41B.

The results from the 2008 election show Edina voted in favor of President Barack Obama in both legislative districts. He received 56 percent of the vote in 41A and 54 percent in 41B. John McCain received 43 percent of the votes in 41A and 45 percent in 41B.

In terms of local races in 2008 and 2010, however, Republican candidates had strong showings. Republican Keith Downey won a three-way battle in 2008 with DFLer Kevin Staunton and Independent Ron Erhardt for House District 41A with 37 percent of the vote, compared to Staunton's 31 percent and Erhardt's 32 percent. When Downey and Staunton squared off again in 2010, Downey took home 51 percent of the vote to Staunton's 49 percent.

Paul Rosenthal (DFL) defeated Republican Jan Schneider for House District 41B back in 2008, winning 53 percent of the vote to Schneider's 47 percent. Two years later, Rosenthal was unseated by Republican Pat Mazorol. Mazorol won 51 percent of votes, while Rosenthal took 46 percent. 

As for Senate District 41, former Republican Sen. Geoff Michel defeated DFL challenger Steve Elkins back in 2010 by a fairly substantial margin. Michel earned 56 percent of SD41 votes, 12 percentage points more than Elkins' 44 percent. 

How will Edina residents vote this year? We're looking forward to seeing how it all shakes out. Check back here after the polls close for up-to-the minute results. We will publish a story breaking down exactly how Edina voted on state and national issues and candidates on Wednesday.

RESULTS

* denotes incumbent

Winner's names are in bold.

Mayor of Edina

Edina City Council (two seats)

Minnesota Senate

Minnesota House of Representatives

Other results

• Presidential election
• Constitutional amendments (marriage and voter ID)
• U.S. Senate
• U.S. House
• Judicial races (Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals, Associate Justices, 4th District Court)
• Neighboring communities
  • Eden Prairie
  • Golden Valley
  • Hopkins
  • Minnetonka
  • Richfield
  • Southwest Minneapolis
  • St. Louis Park

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