As of Wednesday afternoon, Jorge Prince is on track to be the next Mayor of Bemidji. With 100% of precincts reporting, Prince has amassed 3,919 votes while challenger Michael Meehlhause had 2,617. This means close to 60% of the vote was for Prince, while 40% voted for Meehlhause.

Prince works as the Chief Financial Officer of LaValley Industries in Bemidji. This was Prince’s second time running after his first run in 2014, when he was defeated by Rita Albrecht. Albrecht was not running for mayor again this year, as she sought a State Senate seat in District 5 that ultimately went to incumbent Justin Eichorn.

Meehlhause is an academic advisor at TrekNorth High School, as well as a Bemidji City Councilor for Ward 1.

By — Betsy Melin