On Monday, moments after swearing in newly elected Democrat Senator Doron Clark (DFL –Minneapolis), Senate Democrats introduced a resolution to end the Senate power-sharing agreement that guided the first three weeks of session.

“I find the end of the power-sharing agreement very unfortunate,” Senator Gary Dahms (R – Redwood Falls) said. “The bipartisan, collaborative approach was working extremely well. I hope the Majority will listen to the 33 Republican senators who represent half of Minnesota’s citizens.”

Before the start of the 2025 session, a group of eight Democrat State Senators calling themselves the “Blue Dog Coalition” promised to bring “bipartisan solutions that serve all Minnesotans.” One of the coalition’s members gave a speech on the Senate floor in which she expressed concerns shared by her constituents regarding the caucus’s governing approach. However, she and the other members of the Blue Dog Coalition voted to end the agreement.

Despite the power-sharing agreement ending, some items of the agreement remain in place including most committees having only a one-vote Majority margin and no changes to the Senate’s rules during the 2025 calendar year.

“With the House of Representatives being organized and the Senate now split 34 Democrats and 33 Republicans, Minnesotans sent a very divided government to St. Paul. They are asking for a more moderate, collaborative approach. With a lot of important work that needs to be accomplished, bipartisanship is the only way we will get this done,” concluded Senator Dahms.