A Democrat and a Republican are vying for a seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives in a special election that could leave the chamber tied or give Republicans a slim majority. A Democrat won the seat by 30 percentage points last November, but a judge later ruled that he did not meet the residency requirements to run for the office.

DFLer David Gottfried and Republican Paul Wikstrom are competing for House District 40B, where a DFL victory would likely restore a 67-67 tie in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

ST. PAUL ( WJON News) -- The Democratic candidate won a special election on Tuesday returning the Minnesota House to an even tie. DFLer David Gottfried won the special election in House District 40B with 70 percent (9,352 votes) to the Republican Paul Wikstrom's 30 percent (3,966 votes).

Republicans in the Minnesota House lost a one-seat edge in the Capitol, where tensions over party dominance have simmered for weeks.

The special election was held in a heavily Democratic district in the northern St. Paul suburbs of Roseville and Shoreview.

As expected, Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate David Gottfried ran away with a victory in Tuesday’s special election for District 40B, securing shared power for his party in the Minnesota House.

Minnesota’s newest state lawmaker is looking forward to jumping into a legislative session that has been anything but normal. David Gottfried says he’s ready to hit the ground running and help facilitate meaningful legislation in this budget year.