Woman Who Straight-Up Claimed to Be Illegal Wins St. Paul Mayoral Election

Conservative News DailyNovember 5, 2025

Kaohly Vang her, a Democratic State Representative who previously stated that she and her family lived in the U.S. illegally, won the 2025 mayoral election in St. Paul, Minnesota. Born in Laos and a former refugee, Her initially claimed during a public debate that she and her family were illegal migrants but later clarified that they are U.S. citizens. She explained her earlier statements as an attempt to foster empathy among lawmakers and acknowledged that her father had technically broken the law while filling out refugee paperwork.her will take office in January 2026, becoming the first woman and first person from the Hmong community to lead St. Paul. The election victory came after she defeated incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter through second-choice vote tabulation. The article also notes broader Democratic gains in recent elections across the U.S.

A woman who previously declared she was living in the U.S. illegally won the election to become the next mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Democratic State Rep. Kaohly Vang Her emerged victorious late Tuesday night in the St. Paul mayoral election, defeating incumbent Democratic Mayor Melvin Carter after a tabulation of second-choice votes, according to election results.

Her, who was born in Laos and entered the U.S. as a refugee, once claimed during a public debate that she and her family were illegal migrants, but later walked those claims back.

“I am illegal in this country. My parents are illegal here in this country,” Her said in June during a Minnesota House of Representatives floor debate over Medicaid eligibility for illegal migrants.

“I tell you this story because I want you to think about who it is that you are calling illegal,” Her continued. “My family was just smarter in how we illegally came here.”

BREAKING: Democrat Minnesota State Rep. Kaohly Vang Her just admitted on the House Floor that she is an ILLEGAL ALIEN.

How is she holding office? @ICEgov @DHSgov @RealTomHoman pic.twitter.com/7PuE4GoPQP

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 9, 2025

Later that day, the state representative told the Minnesota Reformer, a local news outlet, that she and her parents are actually American citizens, but she made the stunning claim in an attempt to inspire empathy from her GOP colleagues.

However, Her maintained that her father technically broke the law when filling out refugee paperwork for her family, claiming “familial connection to [a] friend that worked for USAID, which wasn’t accurate.”

“Technically, you would say my father broke the law, right? But we would have come anyway,” Her said to the Minnesota Reformer at the time.

Her will begin leading St. Paul, a city of more than 300,000 people, in January 2026, becoming the first woman and first member of the Hmong community to do so, according to MPR News.

A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, she previously served in Carter’s office before challenging him for his seat.

In nearby Minneapolis, Mayor Jacob Frey is still fighting off a challenge from Minnesota State Senator Omar Fateh.

While Frey accumulated the most first-choice votes Tuesday night, he fell short of the majority needed to win in the first round, pushing the election into a count of the second and third-choice votes, according to KMSP-TV.

Democrats made major gains across the country on Tuesday night.

Virginia Democrat State Rep. Abigail Spanberger handily won the state’s gubernatorial election, Republican Jack Ciattarelli lost his bid to flip the New Jersey governor’s seat, while socialist darling Zohran Mamdani emerged victorious in New York City’s mayoral election, defeating both former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

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