Trail Mix: Republican recruit wanted in top Senate district
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
Minnesota Senate Republicans are still searching for a serious recruit for a Maple Grove swing seat that could decide the majority next year.
State of play: Warren Limmer's retirement creates an opening in Senate District 37.
- While Limmer has kept the area in Republican hands for three decades, demographic shifts have made the district a top battleground.
Case in point: The Democratic presidential ticket carried the suburban seat by 8 percentage points in 2024.
What they're saying: "Republicans really need to find a strong [candidate] who has a history of winning multiple elections in the area and whose issues fit the district if they even want to have a chance to win," Jennifer DeJournett, a GOP strategist who lives in Maple Grove, told Axios.
- "That is going to be a very tough recruitment effort, because there's only a handful of people in the district that fit that mold."
What we're hearing: Multiple Republicans have been lobbying Rep. Kristin Robbins, who won her half of the district with 57% of the vote last cycle, to drop her bid for governor and run for this seat instead.
- But Robbins insists publicly and privately that she's staying in the gubernatorial race for now.
The intrigue: Someone registered domain names for a Robbins Senate run this month. Shortly after, the local GOP chapter opted to hold off on making an endorsement in the seat.
- The Maple Grove Republican laughed it off — "You're kidding me?" she said when I asked her about the URLs — and said it wasn't her.
The other side: Democrats are looking to flip the district in a bid to hold or expand their one-seat majority in the chamber.
- Their candidate, Maple Grove City Council Member Kristy Janigo, has been running since last summer and had raised over $40,000 as of the start of the year.
What we're watching: "You'll have to stay tuned," Senate GOP Leader Mark Johnson told me last week when I asked about his recruitment efforts.
In other news
🫏 Several well-known Democrats ran into trouble during last weekend's local endorsement conventions.
Why it matters: The stamp of approval from delegates can carry cache with primary voters and unlock resources.
What happened: Ryan Winkler, a former House majority leader, lost his endorsement bid to rival Jess Lewis in Golden Valley's House District 43B.
- Meanwhile, DFL Sen. Ron Latz's challenger, former St. Louis Park Council Member Lynette Dumalag, blocked the six-term incumbent from securing the endorsement for his reelection bid.
- Delegates in Senate District 46 landed on "no endorsement" instead.
The other side: GOP Rep. Mike Wiener beat incumbent Sen. Paul Utke for the Republican endorsement in Northern Minnesota's Senate District 5.
- Morning Take reports that Utke is considering running in the primary without the endorsement for a second time.