Kaohly Her defeated incumbent Melvin Carter III and three other candidates in the general election for mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota on November 4, 2025. While mayoral elections in St. Paul are nonpartisan, both candidates were Democrats. Her was the first woman and the first Hmong American to be elected mayor of St. Paul. Carter was the city's first Black mayor.

Ahead of the election, Fox 9's Nick Longworth wrote, "St. Paul’s next mayor will be tasked with overseeing the rebound of a downtown that has seen a sluggish recovery for businesses since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, dealing with the fallout of an unprecedented cyberattack and a continuing homeless crisis." The Minnesota Star-Tribune's Josie Albertson-Grove also wrote, "The next mayor will also have to contend with neighborhood-level issues. Some of the biggest include construction on the Summit Avenue bike lanes and the yawning vacancies at malls in the Midway area, especially after the exit of Cub Foods."

Her was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. She was first elected to the state House in 2018. Before holding public office, Her worked in the financial services industry for fifteen years, and was the Board Administrator for Saint Paul Public Schools. Her also worked as a policy director for the mayor's office during Carter’s first term. In response to Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, Her said, "I’m running for mayor to be an advocate for our values and to ensure our city runs efficiently and transparently. ... Three major components will help get Saint Paul back on track and out of the trap that ‘ok is good enough.’ These are the main principles I will use to govern our city. We need safe communities, a vibrant economy, and affordable, abundant housing."

Carter was first elected mayor of St. Paul in 2017 and was re-elected in 2021. Before he was elected mayor, Carter was a member of the St. Paul City Council from 2008 to 2013. Carter's other professional experience included working as the executive director of the Minnesota Children's Cabinet and as director of the Minnesota Department of Education's Office of Early Learning. Carter ran on his record. In response to Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, he said, "We’re set up well for this next phase. That means making our public spaces more accessible, helping people get connected to care, and contributing to hold accountable those who choose to break our social contract. It means seizing our opportunities to grow — cutting red tape, attracting new investments, and making sure the world knows what we know: Saint Paul is one of the best places anywhere to build a family, a business, and a home."

Yan Chen, Adam Dullinger, and Mike Hilborn also ran. Her, Carter, and Hillborn all completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Click here to read their responses.

St. Paul used ranked-choice voting (RCV) for this election, which asked voters to rank candidates by preference on their ballots. Click here to learn more about that process. The filing deadline for this election was August 12, 2025.

As of 2025, St. Paul does not have term limits for the position of mayor. Mayors serve a four-year term.