Battle for control of Minnesota House could result in rare tie, as GOP wins bring end to DFL trifecta
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The battle for control of the Minnesota House was headed for a potential 67-67 tie as of early Wednesday morning.
The big picture: Any return to divided government would be a blow to legislative Democrats, who used the "trifecta" they won in 2022 to pass a sweeping list of progressive policies.
- Legislative Republicans centered their bid to retake the chamber on an argument that Democrats went too far, saying more balance was needed.
State of play: Preliminary results show Republicans picking up enough seats in the House to block the DFL from another two years of full control.
- They appeared to hold all their vulnerable districts and flip at least three currently held by Democrats, despite being outspent by DFL-allied groups.
Yes, but: Results tallied as of Wednesday morning show the GOP falling just short of winning a House majority outright. And Democrats won the special election that put the DFL's one-vote Senate majority in play.
- The governorship will also remain in DFL hands, with Tim Walz returning to the Capitol after his failed vice presidential bid.
The intrigue: If the current margins hold, two seats where the DFL has a narrow lead appear to be headed toward a recount.
- Rep. Brad Tabke (DFL-Shakopee) led GOP challenger Aaron Paul by 13 votes as of 6am, while Rep. Dan Wolgamott (DFL-St. Cloud) had a 28-vote lead over Republican Sue Ek.
What they're saying: House GOP leader Lisa Demuth declared victory at about 1:25am today, saying that the GOP "broke the Democrat trifecta and restored balance to Minnesota."
- House Speaker Melissa Hortman stopped short of conceding, saying in a 1:38am statement that the control of the House "is too close to call."
Flashback: The last time the House was tied at 67-67 was in 1979. That session was far from smooth.
- Both DFL and GOP leaders had entertained the prospect that this year's results would produce a similar outcome, given the close nature of the battleground races.
- It's not yet clear how a power-sharing scenario might play out this time around.
The bottom line: While the final alignment could still change based on the recounts, a rare tie in the House and 34-33 DFL majority in the Senate is about as evenly divided as divided government can get.
- "This will be the ultimate exercise in compromise," Amy Koch, a former Minnesota GOP Senate leader, told Axios. "Minnesota has spoken and they want cooperation."