Voters to decide DFL nominee for House District 49A in Aug. 13 primary

On Tuesday, voters in District 49A, encompassing Eden Prairie precincts 1 through 7, will choose between two DFL candidates in the Aug. 13 primary: Kissy Coakley and Alex Falconer, who has been endorsed by the Senate District 49A DFL.

The winner will go on to face Republican Stacy Bettison, a 53-year-old business owner and attorney, in the general election on Nov. 5. Bettison is the GOP-endorsed candidate for Senate District 49A. Bettison’s name will also appear on the primary ballot. In races where one party has multiple candidates, all parties’ candidates will be listed for the given seat.

Coakley, 47, is a Minnetonka City Council member first elected in 2019 and a community advocate. She founded Kissy’s Stay Put Services, a nonprofit that supports women in the justice system.

Falconer, 43, of Eden Prairie, is the campaign manager for the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters. He is a longtime political and grassroots organizer and a former DFL employee.

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District 49A covers northern Eden Prairie and southern Minnetonka. The three candidates are vying to replace Democratic state Rep. Laurie Pryor, who has served since 2017 and announced earlier this year that she would retire at the end of her term in January.

Voters are encouraged to visit the Secretary of State’s website to determine their polling locations. Click here to view a map of Eden Prairie’s 20 precincts.

Eden Prairie Local News (EPLN) asked Coakley and Falconer six questions on state issues, providing insights into each candidate’s priorities and proposed policies. Candidates were asked to keep answers to about 300 words or fewer. Links to each candidate’s answers and profiles can be found below (in alphabetical order):

Kissy Coakley

Alex Falconer

Aug. 13 primary elections in Eden Prairie

Residents in Eden Prairie precincts 1 through 7 will find the House District 49A race on their Aug. 13 primary ballot. In addition, all Eden Prairie residents, across all 20 precincts, will see the Republican and Democratic primaries for U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s seat.

Klobuchar, a Democrat, is expected to win against challengers Steve Carlson, Ahmad R. Hassan, George H. Kalberer, and Ole Savior.

On the Republican side, Royce White, a former professional basketball player and mental health advocate, is the GOP-endorsed candidate. His main competition is Joe Fraser, a banker and military veteran. They are joined by John Berman, Loner Blue, Alycia R. Gruenhagen, Patrick D. Munro, Raymond D. Petersen, and Christopher Seymore Sr.

Sample Ballot for House District 49A Race:

Eden Prairie Local News (EPLN) is pleased to announce that the 2024 Voter Guide, which will highlight the local races on the Nov. 5 ballot, will be mailed to every household in Eden Prairie. Following the approach taken in 2022, EPLN is committed to providing all the essential information residents need to make informed decisions at the polls.