Woodbury, Minnesota: Nicole Mitchell Wins City Council Seat by 101 Votes After Burglary Conviction

Woodbury, Minnesota. Nicole Mitchell is going back into elected office. The former state senator, who resigned last year after a jury convicted her of first-degree burglary, won a seat on the Woodbury City Council on Tuesday, edging incumbent Steve Morris by 101 votes for the second of two at-large seats.

Unofficial results with all 16 precincts reporting early Wednesday gave Samantha Wolf the top spot in the 10 candidate field, with 10,502 votes, or 17.78 percent. Mitchell finished second with 7,837 votes, or 13.27 percent. Morris, the only incumbent in the race, had 7,736 votes, or 13.09 percent. Voters could choose up to two candidates, and 59,079 votes were counted across all candidates, including write-ins. Council member Jennifer Santini did not seek reelection.

A margin inside recount range

The 101 vote gap between Mitchell and Morris was about 0.17 percent of the votes counted across the field. Woodbury News Net reported that under Minnesota local recount law, a contest with at least 50,000 votes can qualify for a publicly funded recount when the margin is below 0.25 percent, a threshold of about 147 votes in this race. A recount is not automatic. If the canvassed results keep the margin in that range, Morris could ask the city clerk for a city funded recount by 5 p.m. on the seventh day after the canvass. The results are unofficial until the city canvasses them. If they hold, Wolf and Mitchell would give the council two new members, serving four year terms that begin in January.

The case that ended a Senate career

Mitchell, a Woodbury resident and DFL member, represented Senate District 47 in the Minnesota Senate from January 2023. Police arrested her inside her stepmother's home in Detroit Lakes early on April 22, 2024. In police body camera video, she said she was trying to get some of her late father's belongings. Her attorneys said she was checking on her stepmother, who has Alzheimer's disease.

A Becker County jury convicted her in July 2025 of first-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools. She resigned from the Senate on July 25, 2025, one week after the verdict. Her departure set off a special election for District 47, later won by Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger, who now represents the district. Mitchell was sentenced in September 2025 to 180 days in jail and was released in January after serving nearly four months.

The campaign she ran

Mitchell, an Air National Guard veteran and former lawyer, campaigned on water quality, more transparency at City Hall and scrutiny of additional data centers in Woodbury. Her campaign also pointed to keeping property taxes down and to her years representing the city in the Senate. Wolf, a five year Woodbury resident, co-led the local effort to allow backyard hens, and proposed regular office hours and asking voters whether the city should move from at-large council seats to wards.

After the count, Mitchell thanked supporters in a statement carried by KFGO. "Thank you to everyone who was so kind and supportive during my campaign," she said.