Jan. 28 special election called for tiebreaker state Senate seat after Sen Kari Dziedzic’s death
The vacancy puts the Senate in a 33-33 tie among Democrats and Republicans.
Gov. Tim Walz on Monday ordered a special election for next month that will decide control of the Minnesota Senate.
The election in the Minneapolis district will be held Jan. 28.
DFL Sen. Kari Dziedzic died Friday at 62. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2023 and stepped down from the role of Senate majority leader earlier this year as she underwent medical treatment.
Dziedzic represented Senate District 60 for more than a decade. Her peers in the Legislature mourned her passing this past weekend.
The vacancy puts the Senate in a 33-33 tie among Democrats and Republicans. The deadline for candidates to file for the seat in the heavily DFL district is Tuesday.
Another special election for a Roseville-area House seat also is scheduled for Jan. 28. The House seat came open after the prior DFL winner — Curtis Johnson — was found by a Ramsey County judge to have violated state residency requirement.
Rather than appeal the judge’s ruling, Johnson recently announced he was stepping down.
Meanwhile, a contested House race in Shakopee has gone to trial with a ruling yet to come in the case.
Control of that chamber is expected to sit at 67-66 early in the legislative session, with Republicans holding a one-vote advantage.
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