| Get ready to lean on the refresh button on the Secretary of State’s Office elections results page. One, hugely consequential special election concludes today. Polls close at 8 p.m. and then we’ll learn in the hours after whether Republicans have an all-important 68th member and a clear majority or if Democrats have brought the House back into a 67-67 tie. If it’s the latter, there is a resolution that dictates how the chamber is supposed to be run. It was approved as part of the boycott-ending deal. No matter what, Republican Lisa Demuth will remain as House speaker, which gives the GOP an upper hand on deciding procedural motions and which amendments get voted on and which get shelved. The winner of the David Gottfried (DFL)-Paul Wikstrom (GOP) race is unlikely to be seated until next week.
One of the 30 recall cases against Minnesota House members has been dismissed. The only recall petition against a Republican legislator — Rep. Duane Quam of Byron — was closed Friday through an order by Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson. Voters in Quam’s district filed the petition about a month ago, alleging Quam committed malfeasance by taking a vote in the absence of a quorum. In her order, Hudson said the petition fell short of the standard for allowing a recall to proceed. “Representative Quam’s alleged conduct from January 14, 2025, to the date of this court’s decision (Jan. 24) was not contrary to any established legal standard as is required to be unlawful or wrongful in the recall context,” she wrote. The GOP’s 29 recall drives against DFL lawmakers differ in that they are alleging “malfeasance” or “nonfeasance” by boycotting lawmakers for failing to show up for sessions. Rulings on those could come in the next couple of weeks, if not sooner.
Republicans sought to postpone a new paid leave program but decided in the end to postpone something else: A vote. But talks about potential changes to the program could continue through the back half of the legislative session. The plan for a year delay was raised for consideration Monday but then quickly put on the shelf for now . Republicans knew they didn’t have the 68 votes necessary for passage. They used the brief time it was up to voice concern that the program would encounter hiccups and business hardship, which they used to justify an extra year to get it up and running. The Department of Employment and Economic Development will run the program and said it’s on track. Democrats said the program has been debated for a decade and should be able to start as they’d intended. You can read more about the proposal here and listen for more coverage later in the week.
The House went half-and-half on a pair of anti-fraud proposals that came to the floor yesterday. A measure adding extra whistleblower protections for state workers that report potential fraud won passage on a unanimous vote, while a proposal to have the Office of the Legislative Auditor routinely assess whether state agencies and programs adopted their recommendations came up short of the 68 votes needed to pass. Neither bill is either on the cusp of law or in the grave. Both are likely to continue to be part of discussions this session as lawmakers from both parties elevate oversight and accountability after some high-profile cases of theft of public funds. Expect a bipartisan anti-fraud package to be signed by the end of the session.
Former Senate Minority Leader Melisa López Franzen announced her bid for U.S. Senate yesterday, saying she could bring a “voice of sanity” back to Washington. López Franzen is vying for a seat that will come open in the 2026 election as U.S. Sen. Tina Smith retires after her term. She most recently worked as a senior official at the University of Minnesota. A native of Puerto Rico who moved to Minnesota more than two decades ago, López Franzen says she embraces her identity as a Latina and also counts herself as a quintessential Minnesotan. She said she wants to represent the state where she’s found her American dream. “I want to bring a voice of sanity back to Washington, get the job done,” López Franzen said. “This is a moment for me to step back into the realm of politics, bring the voice that I think is missing in the federal level, because I've done it at the legislative level, and I'm ready to take this on and go to every single part of the Minnesota map.”
López Franzen also played up her role as a suburban mom, which could become a common theme in the race. She pointed to a tupperware container of leftover french toast and sausage that she’d made for her two sons, ages 8 and 9. “Parents can relate to eating the leftovers their kids leave for breakfast. I haven't gotten to it, but I will,” she said. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, also a west metro mom, has also launched a bid for the seat. And Republicans Rep. Kristin Robbins and Sen. Julia Coleman, both from western suburbs, have left the door open. Retired Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze and Royce White are both running on the Republican side. Dana has more here. López Franzen doesn’t think voters will hold it against her that she’s from a polarizing western suburb. “When I first moved to Edina, I had no idea what people thought about Edina,” she said. “No idea how people felt about Edina, but I think I've changed minds because everyone can succeed and get to be in a great place to raise their family.”
You might have heard: It’s been five years since COVID-19 made its mark on Minnesota through fast-spreading illness, sweeping government measures and heightened political division over public health. This week MPR News is looking back on the start of the pandemic response and looking also at the health, social and economic implications. One installment is a package of five charts from APM Research Lab director Craig Helmstetter that capture some of the impact. One of my enduring memories (this is Brian) of that early time was when Capitol reporters all crammed into the press room to hear Gov. Tim Walz, Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm and others tell the public they should be spacing out. Here was my lede on March 13, 2020 : “Gov. Tim Walz moved Friday to limit gatherings in Minnesota to fewer than 250 people and declared a ‘peacetime emergency’ to heighten the state’s readiness to respond to COVID-19.” And I, naively, added this in the story: “The Walz declaration of a peacetime emergency is less ominous than it sounds.” We’ll have more lookbacks throughout the week.
Minnesota is about a year into a pilot project where state troopers can use a roadside saliva test to analyze whether someone is driving while high. That had been illegal before the onset of legal cannabis and remains a crime to drive under the influence of drugs. Minnesota is among the states trying to come up with a good way to spot and crack down on marijuana-induced impairment. The Minnesota project was set in motion as part of the bill legalizing cannabis possession and use for adults 21 and up. As far as we’ve seen there hasn’t been a report issued yet on the pilot project here, but NPR’s Meg Anderson looked at what other states are doing in this space.
Two Minnesota Senators made clear this is the state of hockey on Monday. Sen. Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, and Rob Kupec, DFL-Moorhead, both wore the hockey jerseys of the state championship teams in each of their districts. Johnson wore the Green Wave jersey of East Grand Forks High School, which won the Class A title, and Kupec wore the Spuds jersey of Moorhead High School, which won the Class AA title. “I don't know what happened in the Red River Valley this last weekend, but we got another championship in the 2A tournament, as well. I know Senator Kupec was excited about that as well,” Johnson said. “But it's a really exciting time in Minnesota. Just wanted to give them a shout out and congratulations to the Green Wave.” In the House agriculture committee, a testifier in bleached blond hair, apologized for his lettuce. "Please forgive my unique look today," said PJ Connolly. “I coach hockey and the boys made it to the state so they wanted the coach to participate as well.” Kupec observed in his remarks: “Hockey is alive and well in Minnesota.”
Being the state of hockey also comes with… hockey fights. Sen. Karin Housley, R-Stillwater, has floated the idea of moving the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame from its long-time home in Eveleth down to the Twin Cities. Housley, whose husband, Phil, had a 21-year NHL career, is the board chair of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. Northern News Now says she recently spoke in favor of moving the hall, saying it would be a bigger draw and get many more visitors there. “There would be a lot more people that would be exposed to American hockey and what we have grown here and what great players that we have,” Housley said. Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, responded to a Housley post about seeing U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, by saying, “Congressman @PeteStauber meets with Twin Cities Republican @KarinHousley (who is actively trying to steal the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame from the Iron Range) instead of with constituents in Northern Minnesota…hopefully he told her to stop the steal.” | 