Anoka-Hennepin voters reelected all three incumbents in a politically divided school board Tuesday night, meaning partisan gridlock is likely to continue.
Kacy Deschene and Jeff Simon, who often vote with the board’s more liberal bloc, won their reelection bids against challengers Lorraine Coan and Tiffany Strabala.
Conservative Matt Audette, who was hoping to expand the board’s conservative bloc by electing Coan and Strabala, also won his reelection bid against challenger Abbey Payeur.
The six-member Anoka-Hennepin school board, which represents 13 suburban communities in the north metro, faces frequent gridlock over issues with a 3-3 political split, including the district’s budget and curriculum choices.
Conservative board member Audette made headlines in 2024 when he said he and other conservative board members would block the district from passing a budget unless the board met a list of his demands, including eliminating the use of concepts of “equity” and “anti-racism” and halting the adoption of Minnesota’s new social studies standards.
At the time, Audette did not have the votes to accomplish his goals. But this year, he endorsed two candidates challenging more liberal incumbents who could help him build a majority on the board.
Campaign spending in the race reached nearly $500,000, primarily through political action committees supporting the conservatives.
