Merrill wins Isanti special mayoral election

Luke Merrill will serve as mayor of Isanti through the end of 2026 after winning Tuesday's special election against former mayor Jeff Johnson.

According to election results from the Minnesota Secretary of State's office, Merrill won with 572 votes — or about 59% of the vote — with Johnson garnering 402 votes.

City data indicates that 303 of Merrill's votes came from voters at the Isanti City Hall precinct, and 269 from the Isanti Community Center polling site.

Merrill was elected to the city council in 2022, and has served as interim mayor after previous mayor Jimmy Gordon vacated his seat following the November general election.

Gordon ran as a Republican and defeated DFL candidate Tim Dummer for the District 28A state representative seat.