House 34B DFL Candidates Talk Priorities Ahead of Aug. 12 Primary
The DFL primary for Minnesota House District 34B’s special election is coming up on Tuesday, Aug. 12. Three Democrats — Christian Eriksen, Xp Lee and Erickson Saye — are vying for that spot. CCX News spoke with each of them to learn their priorities.
The House District 34B seat is open after late state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot in their Brooklyn Park home in June.
They all have different priorities, but all three expressed that they hope to continue Hortman’s legacy.
Christian Eriksen
One candidate vying for the position is Christian Eriksen. He currently serves on the Brooklyn Park City Council and said he hopes to make a broader difference by serving in state office. Eriksen said the whole community, including him, was shocked when Hortman died.
One issue Eriksen’s particularly focused on is local government aid funds, which he said fails many first and second-ring suburbs with little to no funding. In office, he said he would work to change that.
“Sitting on city council, I’ve seen a lot of gaps in resources that we get from the state,” Eriksen said. “This is an opportunity to help our community fill those gaps.”
Eriksen said he also wants to work across the political aisle and come up with solutions that include other angles.
“It’s going to take more than just average ideas to move things forward. It’s going to take some real creativity,” Eriksen.
Christian Eriksen is a candidate for Minnesota House 34B.
Xp Lee
DFL-endorsed candidate XP Lee is also running. He served on the Brooklyn Park City Council from 2022 until 2023. He said he worked to mobilize the community before that during the 2020 census, and helped with pandemic efforts.
He knew Hortman as a neighbor and said he wants to honor her legacy, too.
“Part of why I’m running is to help our neighbors and our community heal. To come together,” Lee said.
Lee works for the Minnesota Department of Health. He said he has two big priorities. One is health care, including lowering the cost of prescription drugs. He also wants to work toward health care for all. The other is education, where he hopes to address gaps and work with school administration to connect with families and serve them.
“We need to really be able to bolster that education triangle, and get back to strengthening that for our children to succeed,” Lee said.
Xp Lee is a candidate for Minnesota House 34B.
Erickson Saye
Hennepin County youth prosecutor Erickson Saye is another candidate. He worked with the governor’s office and in engaging voters for the DFL party.
He said he has three primary focuses. Those are affordability, including the cost of day care and property taxes. He also wants to help focus on youth, and investing in resources to keep them out of trouble. The third focus of his, overall, is safety within the community.
“We need to find a way to make living in 34B a more sustainable place. Not just for people to be successful, but for people to thrive, and to live their life as they deserve,” Saye said.
He said his experience and work within the community would serve him well in office. He also echoed the feelings the other two had — Hortman’s leadership must live on.
“We lost an amazing leader in Speaker Hortman, and no one can ever replace that seat. No one can take that seat, but we need someone to carry on her legacy,” Saye said.
Erickson Saye is a candidate for Minnesota House 34B.
Voting Information
The DFL primary is on Tuesday, August 12. People can vote early in-person, as well as on election day. The district represents parts of Brooklyn Park, Champlin and Coon Rapids. More details about polling places and voting hours are available on the Secretary of State’s website.
The winner will face Republican candidate Ruth Bittner in the September 16 special election. Bittner did not respond to a request for an interview, but shared on her website that some issues that matter to her are common sense budgets, safety and security, and supporting education.
