CalledUnofficial results
Minnesota House District 51A
Minnesota House of Representatives · Minnesota
Michael Howard won re-election by 58.6 points over Frank Pafko.
Michael HowardDemocrat · winner · incumbent
79.2%15,841
Frank PafkoRepublican
20.6%4,117
Write-InOther party
0.2%34
19,992 votes
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State unofficial resultsUpdated Nov 7, 2026, 1:21 PM ET
Where the race moved
Against the 2024 presidential vote
The seat's recent races
Source: Past results: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Michael HowardFrank Pafko
$33.1K
Raised by the campaign
$12K
$29.3K
Spent by the campaign
$7.5K
$7.1K
Cash on hand
$4.4K
Campaign money: Minnesota Campaign Finance Board, through Oct 19, 2026.
Source: Minnesota Campaign Finance Board campaign filingsUpdated Oct 19, 2026
Pre-election forecast (final, Nov 3)
Our model's last run before Election Day, Nov 3, 2026. It no longer updates.
- Michael Howard
- >99%
- Frank Pafko
- <1%
- Projected margin
- D+53.3
The candidates
Michael Howard (D)
Incumbent, Minnesota House of Representatives, first elected 2018Frank Pafko (R)
Incumbent, Minnesota House of Representatives, first elected 2018Frank Pafko (R)
Also on the ballot: Write-In (Other party), 0.2%