A conviction of one state senator and the unexpected passing of another may alter leadership in the Minnesota Senate.
On Monday, 75-year-old Republican Senator Bruce Andersondied unexpectedlyon the same day, DFL Senator Nicole Mitchell disclosed through her legal representative thatshe would resign from office following a burglary conviction last week.
The Democrats currently hold a one-vote majority in the chamber, and losing Mitchell puts that power at risk. Special elections for these seats — whose dates have not yet been determined — are happening as another election is scheduled for September in the district of the late Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, following her departure.murdered last month in a politically driven assault.
Governor Tim Walz informed reporters on Monday, prior to the announcement of Anderson’s passing, that the objective is to complete the special elections before the upcoming legislative session.
“The objective would be to accomplish this as quickly as possible, allowing individuals time to organize a campaign, run, and have everything completed by February when we reconvene,” Walz said.
Anderson’s Wright County district is strongly Republican. Mitchell easily won her 2022 election, beating a Republican candidate by over 17 percentage points. Her district includes Woodbury and portions of Maplewood.
However, special elections typically experience lower voter participation compared to general elections.
Amy Koch, the former Republican Senate majority leader who won a special election herself, stated that Mitchell’s race will likely be especially significant—and attract substantial campaign spending—due to both the reason she stepped down and how she embodies the crucial vote for Democrats in the tightly contested Senate.
The attention that will be focused on Woodbury and the significance of Sen. Mitchell’s role and actions will influence this election,” Koch said. “In a special election, anything can happen. Uncommon candidates have the potential to win. Upsets can occur due to the nature of these elections — they are quick, intense, and have low voter turnout.
Following Anderson’s death and Mitchell’s departure, the chamber will be temporarily split 33-32 in favor of Democrats. Many bills require 34 votes to be approved.
Senate DFL Majority Leader Erin Murphy stated in a release after Mitchell’s announcement of her resignation that “with the clarity provided by the resolution of this matter, the Senate DFL Caucus will keep its attention on issues that enhance the lives of Minnesota families and communities.”
Two Democratic members of the House — Rep. Ethan Cha and Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger — whose constituencies fall within Mitchell’s Senate district, have stated their plans to seek her position. Should they succeed, it would result in an additional special election for their respective House districts.
In total, there will be a minimum of six special elections this year.
There were three othersduring the lawmaking session, including for thedistricts of the late DFL Senator Kari Dziedzic, who passed away due to cancer, and former Republican Senator Justin Eichorn. He was taken into custody and faced criminal charges for allegedlyrequesting a child for sexual exploitation.
