A Democrat has secured the Minnesota House seat left vacant by slain lawmaker Melissa Hortman, plunging the chamber into a political deadlock. Coming just a week after the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, the election result brought renewed focus to Hortman’s murder and heightened tensions in the state.

Democrat Xp Lee won a Minnesota House seat in a special election on Tuesday, following the assassination of a top Democratic leader who previously held the post. His victory underscores the gravity of political security while highlighting a new chapter in the state’s legislative landscape.

A special election for the Cache County executive seat on Thursday will proceed without public participation. Instead, a select group of Republican Party leaders and delegates will decide the outcome at Ridgeline High School.

George Daines, a former Cache County Attorney, is one of seven candidates seeking the county’s top administrative spot. The special election follows the retirement of longtime Executive David Zook.

In a special meeting, the Caddo Parish School Board appointed a new interim representative for District 8. The seat will be filled permanently through a special election scheduled for April.

Democrat Catelin Drey’s victory in Iowa Senate District 1 on Tuesday ended the Republican supermajority in the chamber. She defeated Republican Christopher Prosch in a closely watched special election that could reshape the state’s political landscape.