BROOKLYN PARK, Minnesota — Liberian-American candidates Wynfred Russell and Nehemiah Garley have failed to secure the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party nominations in their respective Minnesota legislative races following Tuesday’s primary elections.
Unofficial results from the Minnesota Secretary of State show Russell losing the House District 38A primary to incumbent State Representative Huldah Momanyi-Hiltsley, while Garley was defeated by incumbent State Senator Susan Pha in Senate District 38.
Russell received 1,561 votes, representing 41.81%, while Momanyi-Hiltsley secured 1,822 votes, or 48.79%. Third-place candidate Richard Klatte received 351 votes, or 9.4%. Minnesota Secretary of State—House results
The result marks Russell’s second consecutive primary defeat to Momanyi-Hiltsley.
In 2024, Russell narrowly lost to her by just 50 votes—955 to 1,005. At the time, Momanyi-Hiltsley was seeking the DFL nomination for the open House seat. She later won the general election and entered the 2026 contest as the incumbent.
Russell, a former Brooklyn Park City Council member, returned for a rematch this year but finished 261 votes behind Momanyi-Hiltsley. She will advance to face Republican Charlie Kistler in the November 3 general election.
In Senate District 38, Garley received 1,885 votes, or 25.11%, while Senator Pha won decisively with 5,623 votes, representing 74.89%. Minnesota Secretary of State—Senate results
Garley’s campaign represented his first bid for the Minnesota Legislature. Despite taking his campaign directly to an established incumbent and making an aggressive push for the nomination, he could not overcome Pha’s name recognition, political organization and advantage as the sitting senator.
Pha will now face Republican Brad Olson in the November general election. Senate District 38 includes Brooklyn Center, Osseo and portions of Brooklyn Park—communities with significant immigrant and African-diaspora populations.
The defeats leave Minnesota’s Liberian community without either Russell or Garley on the November ballot. However, their candidacies added to the community’s growing political participation and placed Liberian-American representation at the center of two important legislative contests.
The results remain unofficial until they are certified.
Editor’s note: Russell and Garley failed to win their party’s nominations in the primaries. A party endorsement is normally decided earlier through the DFL convention process.
