2016Flipped from DemocraticFinal resultsIncumbent defeated
2016 election for Minnesota House District 5A
Minnesota House of Representatives · Minnesota
Matt Bliss (R) won with 53.9% of the vote, defeating John Persell (D) by 7.9 points, a seat Democrats won last time.
Matt BlissRepublican · winner
53.9%10,318
John PersellDemocrat · incumbent
46.0%8,808
The same year, the district voted R+11.9 for president; this race was R+7.9.19,151 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Oct 1, 2026, 4:52 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 2016
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Oct 1, 2026, 4:52 AM ET