Not enough election results were reported late Tuesday night to determine if Minnesota Republicans could flip control of the House and break DFL control of state government, which the GOP contends led to spending increases and policy changes that went too far.
Tuesday’s election results will reveal who controls the Minnesota House
The results in 15 of the most competitive districts will decide which party controls the Minnesota House for the next two years.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 6, 2024 at 4:09AM
Democrats had a six-seat majority out of the 134 seats in the House heading into Election Day.
The entire Minnesota House was on the ballot and the election results, most of which weren’t available by 10 p.m. Tuesday, will decide which party controls the chamber for the next two years, with 15 of the most competitive districts in the suburbs and greater Minnesota.
Democrats control the Senate and governor’s office. The Senate isn’t on the ballot until 2026, with the exception of one special election because Sen. Kelly Morrison resigned to run for Congress.
During a volunteer rally last week, House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said she thought voters preferred action to the gridlock of divided government. “They’re looking for people who can get things done,” she said.
Republicans needed to pick up four seats to flip control of the chamber and break the DFL’s trifecta. They’ve been talking up the benefits of divided government — one that moves more slowly and does not make new programs.
“Minnesotans are ready to move on from the expensive two years of Democrat one-party rule,” House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said in a statement.
Democrats could lose two seats and still retain control. It’s also possible the election could lead to a 67-67 split, with Democrats losing three seats to Republicans.
The contest played out largely in the fastest-growing Twin Cities suburbs and exurbs such as Lake Elmo, Shakopee, Lakeville, Chanhassen and Blaine, as well as in St. Cloud, Duluth and the college towns of Winona and St. Peter.
Greater Minnesota contests
Early results from St. Peter and North Mankato had Republican Erica Schwartz leading incumbent DFLer Jeff Brand, who has served two nonconsecutive terms representing District 18A. The seat has swung between the two parties for the past two election cycles.
DFL Rep. Gene Pelowski’s retirement after serving 38 years shook up the race for House District 26A, which includes the college town of Winona. FairVote MN’s Sarah Kruger ran as the DFLer against Winona City Council Member Aaron Repinski. Pelowski won comfortably in 2022, and Biden carried the district by 10 points in 2020, but Republicans said the area is trending conservative.
Suburban battlegrounds
GOP Rep. Mark Wiens won the House District 41A seat in Lake Elmo and Afton by just 128 votes in 2022, and is retiring after one term. Former St. Paul police officer and DFLer Lucia Wroblewski ran for the seat against Republican Wayne Johnson, a former Washington County commissioner.
House District 54A in Shakopee is held by DFL Rep. Brad Tabke, the former Shakopee mayor, who ran against Aaron Paul, a Bloomington police officer. Tabke was one of a small bipartisan group of legislators leading a push to legalize sports betting in Minnesota, so his political fate could have dimensions much larger than his suburban district.
In House District 57B in Lakeville, Republican Rep. Jeff Witte ran for re-election in a district that sits smack in the middle of the Second Congressional District. That larger contest has meant both parties pumped resources into the area. Brian Cohn, a political newcomer, was the DFL’s nominee. President Joe Biden carried the district in 2020.
DFL Rep. Lucy Rehm of Chanhassen was elected to represent House District 48B by just 400 votes in 2022, another of the closest contests of the midterm year. Republican Caleb Steffenhagen, a middle school history teacher at a charter school and officer in the Army National Guard, challenged her in the fast-growing district.
Blaine’s House District 32B is represented by first-term DFLer Matt Norris, who beat an incumbent Republican by just over 400 votes after the district was redrawn. The Republican Party hoped Alex Moe, who works for the Anoka County courts and is getting his law degree at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, could win the district.
Elsewhere in the south metro, incumbents retained seats on Lakeville City Council. Results hadn’t rolled in for contests in Shakopee and Northfield late Tuesday night.
