Friends and Neighbors,
The 2024 election reshaped Minnesota’s political landscape, leaving us with a state government on the edge of change. While Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly carried Minnesota with fewer votes than President Biden in 2020, much of Minnesota – including southern Minnesota – turned a little redder, with counties like Nicollet, Blue Earth, and Winona flipping to President Trump.
The Minnesota Senate
Only one Senate seat was on the ballot this year due to a special election. Senator Kelly Morrison (D-Deephaven) resigned to run for Congress, leaving her seat open. Democrats managed to hold it, and kept their slim one-vote Senate majority intact. That margin will loom large as Governor Walz tries again to push his left-wing agenda, especially when it comes to passing the next state budget.
The Minnesota House
The House has a much more complicated outcome. Every seat was up for grabs, and the election resulted in a 67-67 tie between Republicans and Democrats. This has only happened once before, back in 1979. Two close races are headed for recounts, and while recounts rarely flip results, the possibility exists that Republican control could emerge.
What does a tied house mean? It means both Republicans and Democrats have equal claims to leadership. In order to do anything, they will need to broker a power-sharing agreement. In 1979, the two caucuses held hearings and made their agreement in public. DFL Leader Melissa Hortman has already indicated she doesn’t want to do that, but they expect to negotiate how to run the House of Representatives through written offers.
With a tied House and a nearly deadlocked Senate, Minnesota’s “trifecta” of one-party DFL rule is over. The impact of the past two years will be front and center. Let’s take a moment to reflect on how the DFL used their complete control to jam Minnesotans with their extreme agenda:
- Reckless spending: A 40% increase in government spending in one budget cycle.
- A squandered surplus: Democrats spent through the entire $19 billion surplus, breaking a promise to provide serious relief to Minnesota taxpayers.
- More tax hikes: $10 billion in new taxes have crushed family budgets and small businesses.
- Excessive mandates: School district budgets across the state are in the red, and businesses are drowning under unnecessary rules and mandates.
When the 2025 session begins, Republicans will focus on reversing this damage. The people of Minnesota are tired of seeing their hard-earned money mismanaged. Families and small businesses need relief, not more taxes and mandates.
Our first priority must be affordability. We have to start respecting the taxpayers of this state and their hard work. That means finding every opportunity to lower taxes and rein in government spending. Instead of adding new programs that demand ever-growing spending, we need to focus on smart, sustainable budgeting.
Governor Walz has already stated he wants to “protect” the policies passed during the trifecta. But protecting those policies will be tough when many of them were enacted with no plan for how to sustain them. With family budgets still stressed, Minnesotans can’t afford more of the same.
The February economic forecast will be a critical moment. It will tell us whether any surplus remains. If it does, I will fight to see that it goes back to the people, not into expanding government.
This election wasn’t just about flipping counties or tying the House. It was a demand for balance, for accountability, and for common sense. The upcoming session is our opportunity to deliver. We owe it to the people of Minnesota to get back on a course that prioritizes their needs over government excess.
Let’s get to work.
Draz