DFL candidate Xp Lee wins District 34B special election

Xp Lee won the District 34B special election Tuesday, which will return the House to a 67-67 tie after he is sworn in.

The DFLer won with 60.8% of the vote over Republican candidate Ruth Bittner’s 39.1%, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Lee is a health equity analyst at the Department of Health and a former Brooklyn Park city councilor. He said his win Tuesday is a “thank you” for everything the community has given him.

“My story is proof of what’s possible in our country and our state: I was born in a refugee camp, our family got our papers, and we came to this country when I was 10 months old. I worked hard in school, later I joined a union, and I have been serving my community in every way I can,” he said in a statement.