Election wins for two state representatives Tuesday put Minnesota on track to beat its record of most special elections in one year.
Reps. Kaohly Her, who was elected St. Paul mayor, and Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger, who was elected to the Senate, leave two open House seats in St. Paul and Woodbury, respectively, that will drive Minnesota to eight special elections in 2025 alone — topping the state’s record of six in 1994.
The six special elections held this year were triggered by the resignation of Sen. Nicole Mitchell, the death of Sen. Bruce Anderson, the assassination of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, the resignation of former Sen. Justin Eichorn, the residency dispute involving Rep.-elect Curtis Johnson and the death of former Sen. Kari Dziedzic.
While the two open seats could potentially swing the chamber’s tie, in 2024, Her won the House seat in District 64A with 83% of the vote, and Hemmingsen-Jaeger won the House seat in District 47A with 61%.
House DFL Leader Rep. Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids, said he expects to retain both of the seats, preserving the 67-67 House tie, after Gov. Tim Walz sets the special elections.
“The House DFL Caucus is full of talent, and I am pleased the voters of St. Paul, Maplewood and Woodbury recognized that,” Stephenson said. “The two vacant seats are in strong DFL areas where Kamala Harris defeated Donald Trump by 70 and 25 points, respectively. We take nothing for granted and will run vigorous campaigns, but at the end of the day we will retain both seats.”
With the House tied, legislation must have bipartisan support to pass. If Republicans can flip just one of the DFL seats in St. Paul and Woodbury, House Republicans would have a majority and would therefore be able to pass more of their priorities.
It would also mean more leverage in negotiations and the ability to deny a quorum, like House Democrats did at the beginning of the 2025 session. Still, any bills passed by House Republicans would need to make it past a DFL-controlled Senate and Walz’s desk to become law.
While lawmakers passed a state budget and a bonding bill in the 2025 session, several pieces of big legislation are already being pitched for the 2026 session, including gun control and efforts to bar transgender women and girls from female sports.
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