Who is running for State House District 44B in Minnesota in 2026?

TJ Hawthorne (Independent), Leon M. Lillie (D)

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 44B

State House District 44B — 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

N/RTJ HawthorneIndependent

Candidate for State Representative, District 44B (Independent).

Independent candidate; no legislative voting record or group ratings found (iVoterGuide rates Leans Conservative). Not graded.

Sources: [1]

Ballotpedia

FLeon M. LillieDemocratic

Incumbent state representative, House District 44B; DFL.

LifeFFamilyFReligious libertyC2nd AmendmentFLimited gov’tFFiscalF

On 20 graded roll calls (2023-2026), voted the conservative way 0 times (0%). iVoterGuide rates Verified Liberal.

Life: Voted for the PRO Act (HF 1, 2023) and the 2023 health omnibus repealing statutory abortion restrictions (SF 2995); voted against pregnancy resource center grants (HF 25, 2025) and the motion to take up the preborn right-to-life amendment (HF 5084, 2026). 0 of 4 recorded votes went the conservative way (0%).
Family: Voted for the conversion-therapy ban (HF 16, 2023), the 'trans refuge' law (HF 146, 2023) and the Equal Rights Amendment (SF 37, 2024 House version); voted against 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). 0 of 7 recorded votes went the conservative way (0%).
Religious liberty: No specific position found; DFL; iVoterGuide rates Verified Liberal.
2nd Amendment: Voted for 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). 0 of 6 recorded votes went the conservative way (0%).
Limited gov’t: Voted for the paid leave mandate (HF 2, 2023) and the Equal Rights Amendment (SF 37, 2024 House version). 0 of 2 recorded votes went the conservative way (0%).
Fiscal: Voted for the 2023 omnibus tax bill (HF 1938) and the 2024 tax/state government omnibus (HF 5247). 0 of 2 recorded votes went the conservative way (0%).

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

Ballotpedia

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