Jennifer Carnahan elected Nisswa mayor

Jennifer Carnahan, former chair of the Minnesota GOP, was elected mayor of Nisswa.

What we know

Carnahan won the race with 54.2% of the vote, with 826 total votes.

Her incumbent opponent, John Ryan, garnered 45.41% of the vote, with 692 votes. 

Six votes were write-ins. 

Ryan was running for his sixth term as Nisswa's mayor. 

Background

Carnahan resigned her top state GOP spot in 2021 when her husband, former U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn, was diagnosed with cancer. It also came out around the same time that she had ties to Republican donor Anton "Tony" Lazarro who was accused and later convicted of sex trafficking minors.

She eventually resigned as chair of the Minnesota GOP after negotiating a $36,000 severance package. 

She had previously survived a vote of no-confidence.

READ MORE: GOP Chair pushes back against calls for resignation after donor arrested

Carnahan also unsuccessfully ran for Rep. Hagedorn's congressional seat following his death. 

Hagedorn's family later filed a lawsuit against her, claiming Carnahan didn't pay back medical expenses related to his cancer treatment. Carnahan disputed the lawsuit, and it was eventually settled out of court.