What to expect from Minnesota's incoming DFL trifecta
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On her first day as Minnesota's governor-elect, Amy Klobuchar reiterated her no-new-taxes pledge and detailed plans to launch a "day one" top-to-bottom fraud audit.
- She also called passing permitting reform and tougher gun laws two of her top priorities, along with improving student outcomes and building new housing.
Why it matters: The comments are an early indicator of what the DFL trifecta 2.0 might mean for Minnesota.
The big picture: Tuesday's blue wave dramatically reshaped the balance of power at the narrowly divided State Capitol.
- Voters delivered a decisive end to divided government, handing Democrats their biggest majorities in well over a decade.
Yes, but: While Democrats' commanding win could be interpreted as a mandate for more sweeping changes, Klobuchar campaigned on governing from the center.
- "I'm committed to moving our state forward. Not to the left, not to the right, but forward," Klobuchar said, noting that she had already called both DFL and GOP legislative leaders.
State of play: DFL legislative leaders are also signaling that this trifecta will be different from the last, which resulted in the passage of a sweeping progressive policy agenda over the 2023-24 session.
- "We don't have a list of pent-up things that people want to pass," Senate DFL Leader Erin Murphy told reporters Tuesday. "Instead, we have a pretty significant list of problems and issues that Minnesotans are experiencing."
At the top of that list, Murphy and House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson say, are voters' concerns about affordability, including the cost of health care.
- They also pointed to reviving the gun measures and bills proposed in response to Operation Metro Surge — both of which stalled in the tied House — as top priorities.
Yes, but: Klobuchar's approach — and calls for fiscal restraint — tees up likely clashes with fellow Democrats, especially given her policy differences with liberal legislators on issues including tax hikes and data centers.
- Even on the proposed assault weapons ban, which she has said she'll sign into law, she said she's "sure we'll make some changes."
Klobuchar and other top Democrats downplayed the potential divisions.
- "Yes, there were progressives on the Democratic side. There were also a number of moderates," Klobuchar said of Tuesday's winners. "You're going to see people with different views."
- Assistant Senate Majority Leader Nick Frentz, a moderate DFLer from Mankato, tells Axios that while it might take time, he believes Democrats will unite to "sandpaper down" ideological and policy differences.
Some top Republicans, meanwhile, expressed skepticism that Klobuchar will hold the line.
- "The question now is whether Governor-elect Klobuchar will stand up to the tax-and-spend wing of her party, or whether she'll be another rubber stamp for the far-left agenda, like Tim Walz was," House GOP Floor Leader Harry Niska posted to X, noting that House Democrats campaigned on programs with potentially high price tags.
Between the lines: Frentz said he expects the four-term U.S. senator and former county prosecutor to be a "very shrewd negotiator" and "a little more hands-on" than Gov. Tim Walz has been with the Legislature.
- "Her reputation is detail-oriented, the kind of person that calls get returned, questions get answered," he said.
What's next: Klobuchar announced a transition team of longtime advisers and representatives from various constituencies across the state, including the business community, organized labor and farmers.
- Cindy Jesson, a former judge and state agency head who has worked for Klobuchar and former Gov. Mark Dayton, will lead the effort.