Who is running for State House District 27A in Minnesota in 2026?

Vanessa Davenport (D), Shane Mekeland (R)

When is the Minnesota 2026 general election?

Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Minnesota › Races › State House District 27A

State House District 27A — Minnesota 2026

2 candidates on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot (official Minnesota Secretary of State files, as of October 29, 2026). Grades reflect each candidate's public record on life, family, religious liberty, the Second Amendment, limited government and fiscal responsibility.

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Candidates

DVanessa DavenportDemocratic

Candidate for State Representative, District 27A (DFL).

LifeFFamilyFReligious libertyC2nd AmendmentCLimited gov’tCFiscalF

Non-incumbent DFL; no legislative voting record. Endorsed by Women Winning (2026). iVoterGuide rates Liberal. Evidence pass: marriage, religiousLiberty, secondAmendment, limitedGov, fiscal graded from iVoterGuide questionnaire/endorsement listing and campaign site.

Life: Endorsed by Women Winning (PACs backing pro-choice candidates), 2026.
Family: Answered iVoterGuide questionnaire: Strongly Disagree that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.
Religious liberty: Answered iVoterGuide questionnaire: Neutral on requiring businesses to provide services against religious beliefs, citing a need to balance religious liberty with anti-discrimination law.
2nd Amendment: iVoterGuide: gun laws should focus on 'people who pose a demonstrated danger' and 'Law-abiding citizens are not the problem'; campaign site: keep illegal firearms from criminals, promote responsible ownership.
Limited gov’t: iVoterGuide answers split: agrees free enterprise is essential and opposes a medical database, but strongly disagrees with eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and supports a public healthcare option (B).
Fiscal: Campaign site: 'Focus on tax fairness, not across-the-board cuts'; iVoterGuide: supports a minimum wage that keeps pace with cost of living (mixed questionnaire; lower signal used).

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4]

Ballotpedia

AShane MekelandRepublican

Incumbent state representative, House District 27A; Republican.

LifeAFamilyAReligious libertyB2nd AmendmentALimited gov’tAFiscalA

On 20 graded roll calls (2023-2026), voted the conservative way 20 times (100%). iVoterGuide rates Verified Conservative.

Life: Voted for pregnancy resource center grants (HF 25, 2025) and the motion to take up the preborn right-to-life amendment (HF 5084, 2026); voted against the PRO Act (HF 1, 2023) and the 2023 health omnibus repealing statutory abortion restrictions (SF 2995). 4 of 4 recorded votes went the conservative way (100%).
Family: Voted for the girls' sports bill (HF 12, 2025), the motion to take up the girls' sports bill (HF 12, 2026), the motion to take up the women's athletics exemption (HF 1233, 2026) and the motion to take up the sex-based athletic team bill (HF 2685, 2026); voted against the conversion-therapy ban (HF 16, 2023), the 'trans refuge' law (HF 146, 2023) and the Equal Rights Amendment (SF 37, 2024 House version). 7 of 7 recorded votes went the conservative way (100%).
Religious liberty: No specific position found; Republican; iVoterGuide rates Verified Conservative.
2nd Amendment: Voted against the 2023 public safety omnibus with red-flag and expanded background-check provisions (SF 2909), the 2024 binary-trigger/straw-purchase bill (HF 2609), the firearm safe-storage mandate (HF 4300, 2024), the lost/stolen firearm reporting mandate (HF 601, 2024), the motion to advance the assault-weapons possession ban (HF 3433, 2026) and the motion to take up the assault-weapons/large-capacity-magazine bill (HF 5140, 2026). 6 of 6 recorded votes went the conservative way (100%).
Limited gov’t: Voted against the paid leave mandate (HF 2, 2023) and the Equal Rights Amendment (SF 37, 2024 House version). 2 of 2 recorded votes went the conservative way (100%).
Fiscal: Voted against the 2023 omnibus tax bill (HF 1938) and the 2024 tax/state government omnibus (HF 5247). 2 of 2 recorded votes went the conservative way (100%).

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Ballotpedia

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