2 candidates are tracked for Judge, Minnesota 9th Judicial District Court, Seat 2, headed to a November 3, 2026 runoff: Henry C. Ambelang and Matthew R. Mallie. Candidate information follows official Polk County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Henry C. Ambelang and Matthew R. Mallie are on the November 3, 2026 ballot for this seat. Minnesota's 9th Judicial District covers Aitkin, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake and Roseau counties; judges are elected at large across the whole district, so every voter there, not just voters in one county, votes on this seat. Minnesota judicial elections are nonpartisan and decided by plurality, with no runoff. Listed from the Secretary of State's certified general-election candidate table.
Trial court judge. A trial judge presides over criminal and civil cases at the first level: bail and pleas, motions, trials, sentencing and civil judgments. Judges are bound by state law and appellate precedent and are barred by judicial conduct rules from campaigning on how they would rule. Most states elect trial judges on a nonpartisan ballot; the term and the courts a judge may sit on vary by state.
This race. Nonpartisan: candidates appear without party labels. The sitting officeholder, Matthew R. Mallie, is on the ballot.
Minnesota › Polk County › Judge, Minnesota 9th Judicial District Court, Seat 2
Nonpartisan
Henry C. Ambelang works as a public defender in Minnesota's 9th Judicial District and is running for judge in one of the few contested judicial races in the state this year, per KAXE. No campaign website was found as of September 27, 2026.
Nonpartisan Incumbent
Judge Matthew R. Mallie was appointed to the Ninth Judicial District bench by Governor Tim Walz on July 12, 2019, and was elected in 2020, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. He earned his J.D. from Mitchell Hamline College of Law and previously worked as a solo practitioner and as a city prosecutor for multiple cities in Crow Wing County.
Who is running for Judge, Minnesota 9th Judicial District Court, Seat 2 in 2026?
2 candidates are tracked for Judge, Minnesota 9th Judicial District Court, Seat 2, headed to a November 3, 2026 runoff: Henry C. Ambelang and Matthew R. Mallie. Candidate information follows official Polk County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
When is the Judge, Minnesota 9th Judicial District Court, Seat 2 election in Minnesota?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration deadlines, early voting dates and mail ballot rules for Minnesota are on the Minnesota election hub at theballotbrief.com.
How do I see my exact Polk County ballot?
Enter your ZIP code in the lookup at theballotbrief.com for the statewide and congressional races, or a full street address to add the county, city and district contests for that location.
Candidate roster from official Polk County and state election office filings, last verified September 27, 2026. Bios and priorities carry their attribution inline.
Cross-check with the official Minnesota election office, or see the full Polk County sample ballot and your exact ballot by address.
22 tracked races in Polk County, Minnesota. Landed here from another county's search? Look up your own ballot below.