Longtime Winona Democrat, Gene Pelowski, announces he will not seek reelection in Minnesota House

Longtime Minnesota state House Rep. Gene Pelowski of Winona announced Sunday he will not be seeking reelection this year.

It will end the Democrat’s nearly 40-year career in the state legislature.

Democrats, who control the entire state government in Minnesota, currently have a five-seat majority in the House.

Right now, two Republicans have announced they’re running: Winona city council member Aaron Repinski and Stephen James Doerr, who ran against Pelowski in 2022. Pelowski won that race by 10.2 percentage points (55.1% to 44.9%).

Paperwork to get on the ballot can be filed from May 21 to June 4. Primary voting ends Aug. 13, while the general election voting ends Nov. 5.

Pelowski was first elected in 1986. He represents Minnesota district 26A.

“Rep. Pelowski has provided excellent service to Winona, southeastern Minnesota and the whole state,” Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman stated Monday. “He leaves a remarkable legacy in the Minnesota House: historic investments in higher education, nation-leading policy work on disaster preparedness, legislative reform, bringing the House to Winona for a mini-session and so much more. I’m grateful for his 38 years of leadership and service for the people of Minnesota.”

In a statement released on social media and posted below, Pelowski shared what he called historic achievements.

He also thanked his wife, Deb, family and others — including those in his district.

“Thank you to the residents of Legislative District 26A for allowing me to participate in a remarkable four decades of public service,” Pelowski wrote.