Minnesota's 4th District Primary

Minnesota's 4th Congressional District includes St. Paul and much of the eastern Twin Cities metropolitan area, including Ramsey County and portions of Washington County. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) has represented the district since 2001 and is seeking a 14th term.

Minnesota's Aug. 11 primary features two Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidates and three Republicans. McCollum faces Aswar Rahman in the DFL primary, while Gene Rechtzigel, Paul Wikstrom and Paul Xiong are seeking the Republican nomination.

Minnesota uses a partisan primary system, with voters selecting candidates from one party's ballot and the candidate receiving the most votes advancing to the Nov. 3 general election. There is no congressional primary runoff or ranked-choice voting.

McCollum won reelection in 2024 with 67.6% of the vote.

The Candidates

Democratic Primary

McCollum has represented Minnesota's 4th District since 2001. In the 119th Congress, she serves on the House Appropriations Committee and is the ranking Democrat on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

McCollum introduced the Forever Chemical Regulation and Accountability Act of 2026 in March. The legislation would phase out production of nonessential uses of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS or "forever chemicals," and prohibit releases of the chemicals into the environment.

McCollum has also continued her legislative work on Palestinian rights. In February, she reintroduced the Defending the Human Rights of Palestinian Children and Families Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act, which would restrict the use of U.S. assistance for certain activities in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. She also co-sponsored a May resolution recognizing the Nakba and Palestinian refugees' rights.

Aswar Rahman immigrated to the United States from Bangladesh as a child and grew up in Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota and has worked as an entrepreneur, including in multimedia production and commodities exporting. Rahman previously ran for mayor of Minneapolis.

Rahman has made immigration and refugee policy central to his challenge to McCollum, arguing that the district needs more aggressive representation in response to the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies.

Republican Primary

Paul Xiong is a former law enforcement officer and former chair of the Hmong 18 Council. His campaign emphasizes affordability, small-business opportunities and government accountability.

Paul Wikstrom is an engineer and business professional who has worked in Minnesota's medical technology and aerospace industries. He was the Republican nominee for Minnesota House District 40B in 2024 and has made government fraud and accountability central themes of his congressional campaign.

Gene Rechtzigel is a farmer and perennial candidate who has previously sought the 4th District seat. He won the Republican nomination in 2020 before losing to McCollum in the general election with 29% of the vote. Rechtzigel also competed in the district's Republican primaries in 2016, 2022 and 2024.

The Money Behind the Race

McCollum holds a substantial fundraising advantage over the Republican candidates with available Federal Election Commission reports. She reported $1.22 million in receipts and $1.20 million in disbursements through June 30, leaving her campaign with approximately $568,700 in cash on hand.

Paul Xiong reported $60,577 in receipts, $39,503 in spending and $21,074 in cash on hand through July 22. While Paul Wikstrom reported $23,031 in receipts and $8,186 in spending through June 30. His campaign reported approximately $18,600 in cash on hand.

Ratings vs. Odds

The Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball and Inside Elections all rate Minnesota's 4th Congressional District Solid Democratic, indicating broad agreement that Democrats are strongly favored to retain the seat in November.

As of Aug. 3, the Kalshi market cited for the race gave Democrats a 94.5% probability of winning the general election, compared with 5.5% for Republicans. The market had recorded approximately $19,170 in trading volume. Both the traditional forecasters and prediction market therefore point to a substantial Democratic advantage in November.

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