Koslowski wins District 8B state representative race in Duluth
DULUTH — With all precincts reporting, DFL incumbent Alicia "Liish" Kozlowski will remain the District 8B state representative with 68.6%, or 17,443 votes, over Shawn Savela, 31.1% or 7,956 votes, according to unofficial results from the Minnesota Secretary of State as of 12:58 a.m. Wednesday morning.
District 8B covers eastern Duluth from East Hillside to Brighton Beach. Kozlowski was first elected to the seat in 2022.
Kozlowski grew up in Lincoln Park and was a first-generation college graduate who earned a Master of Business Administration degree. Kozlowski has spent more than 12 years organizing and leading the Duluth community with experience in business development and higher ed. They said they "remain committed to being a responsive leader" in a previous statement to the News Tribune.
"Minnesota Democrats showed the nation last year just how powerful a trifecta can be and another DFL trifecta will only cement and expand the victories for Minnesotans," Kozlowski said previously. "We built off of the success in last year's transformational state budget by delivering numerous victories to grow the state's middle class, help communities thrive, and ensure all Minnesotans have the opportunity to build a better life."
Savela was born and raised in rural Duluth and graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he focused on computer science. He's since returned to school to obtain a Master of Science degree in computer science. Savela ran for Duluth City Council at large in 2023. He previously told the News Tribune his main motivation to run was the last legislative session.
"In the last 10 minutes of the session, the majority party passed a 1,400-page omnibus bill without time for review or debate," Savela said. "In a time when families are struggling to pay for food and housing, instead of returning money from a $17 billion surplus they spent it all and then raised taxes another $10 billion."
