Just four votes separate Republican Austin Peterson from DFL incumbent Rob Kupec in the race for Minnesota Senate District 4, a margin so thin it all but guarantees a recount before either man can call himself the winner. Unofficial results showed Peterson ahead 18,107 to 18,103, a difference small enough to flip the outcome with the discovery of a single misplaced ballot box.
According to InForum, Peterson led with 49.95% of the vote to Kupec's 49.94% once all precincts had reported. The district stretches across portions of Becker and Clay counties and includes the cities of Moorhead, Glyndon, Audubon and Detroit Lakes, per KAXE. KARE 11 reported Peterson won by four votes.
Peterson Signals He Expects a Recount
Peterson acknowledged that a recount was ahead and said he looked forward to seeing it through.
That expectation lines up with state rules on when a recount can happen. The Minnesota Secretary of State's office says a publicly funded recount may occur when the gap between the apparent winner and the next candidate falls below 0.5% of the vote, a threshold the Peterson-Kupec race appears to clear. The office frames this as a possibility rather than something automatic, and the Twin Cities Pioneer Press reports the District 4 result did in fact qualify for a publicly funded recount.
Results for the race remain unofficial until the Minnesota State Canvassing Board meets, which the Minnesota Secretary of State's election results page lists as scheduled for November 19.
Kupec Seeks a Second Term
Kupec, the DFL incumbent from Moorhead, was first elected in 2022 and was seeking a second term this cycle, according to KAXE's election guide. InForum notes that Kupec and his 2022 opponent, Dan Boemer, combined to spend $137,000 on that race alone.
Part of a Broader Shift at the Capitol
The nail-biter in District 4 landed amid a bigger overnight shift at the State Capitol. The Pioneer Press reports that at least six Republican-held Senate seats flipped to the DFL based on preliminary results, while DFL candidates also won control of the Minnesota House and the DFL maintained its majority in the Senate, according to KARE 11. MPR News reports that voters put the DFL firmly back in control of the Legislature after Democrats had held just a one-vote edge in the Senate since 2023 and the House had been split 67-67.
District 4 isn't the only razor-thin contest likely to head back to the counting table. The Pioneer Press reports that Stillwater Republican Sen. Karin Housely won her race by roughly 40 votes, a margin that could also trigger a recount, while MPR News reports Republican Rep. Nolan West held just a 22-vote edge over DFLer Amanda Matchett in a race also expected to be recounted. MPR News also notes that some Minnesota Senate races this cycle drew $2 million to $3 million in outside spending, sums the outlet compares to what's typically spent in some congressional and statewide elections.
For now, Senate District 4 voters are left waiting on a process rather than a result. Peterson has said he respects the recount process, and no certified outcome exists until the State Canvassing Board takes up the results later this month.
