Minnesota › Hennepin County › Hennepin County Commissioner, District 2
4 candidates are tracked for Hennepin County Commissioner, District 2 on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Sharon El-Amin, Irene Fernando, Viviana Salazar and Makeda Zulu. Candidate information follows official Hennepin County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Four candidates filed for this North Minneapolis area seat on the seven member Hennepin County Board, and the August 11 nonpartisan primary cuts the field to the two who advance to the November 3 ballot.
El-Amin is a Minneapolis Public Schools board director and executive director of the McKinley Community Center, according to the Sun newspapers primary voter guide. Her campaign site says she has spent more than 30 years in North Minneapolis, where she raised her children, built a small business and organized around school reform and community food access.
2026 priorities
- Housing stability, per her campaign site
- Accountable public safety, per her campaign site
- Greater communication and transparency from county government, per the Sun newspapers voter guide
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-29.
Campaign site →
Fernando is the sitting Hennepin County commissioner for District 2 and has chaired the county board since 2023, per her campaign site. The Sun newspapers primary voter guide lists her occupation as county board member and notes she holds degrees from the University of Minnesota, including a Ph.D. in organizational leadership.
2026 priorities
- Expanding affordable housing and reducing homelessness, per her campaign site
- Preventing ICE enforcement actions on county property, per her campaign site
- Addressing domestic and gun violence as public health problems, per the Sun newspapers voter guide
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-29.
Campaign site →
Salazar is a healthcare administrator who most recently supervised more than 20 employees across five medical specialties at University of Minnesota Physicians, per her campaign site. Her campaign site also says she chairs the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission, founded the nonprofit Nuestra Lucha MN and is completing an executive MBA at the Carlson School of Management. The Sun newspapers primary voter guide notes she did not respond to its questionnaire.
2026 priorities
- Public safety and violence prevention, per her campaign site
- Housing stability and pathways to homeownership, per her campaign site
- Relief from rising property taxes, per her campaign site
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-29.
Campaign site →
Zulu is senior director of partnerships at the University of Minnesota's Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center, according to the Sun newspapers primary voter guide and her campaign site. Her campaign site describes nearly 30 years of executive leadership experience and says she is a lifelong North Minneapolis resident.
2026 priorities
- A firm 2028 closure commitment for the HERC waste facility, per the Sun newspapers voter guide
- An independent inspector general and citizen oversight commission, per the Sun newspapers voter guide
- Environmental justice, healthcare access and transportation equity, per the Sun newspapers voter guide
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-29.
Campaign site →
