Minnesota DFL holds state Senate but faces challenges in House, with trifecta in the balance

The Minnesota DFL held its single-seat majority in the state Senate by winning a special election in the West Metro suburbs but was in a series of tight races in a handful of House battleground seats to determine whether it will hold its governing trifecta.

Former Sen. Anne Johnson Stewart defeated GOP nominee Kathleen Fowke to hold the seat vacated by U.S. Rep.-elect Kelly Morrison. It was the only state Senate seat on the ballot but could have turned the Senate over to Republicans had Fowke won. The 45th Senate District hugs the shore of Lake Minnetonka and includes the towns of Excelsior, Deephaven, Wayzata, Tonka Bay and Mound.

But results in the House were not conclusive, though they were favoring Republicans who needed to flip four DFL seats and hold onto their incumbents and open seats. The GOP was leading in Districts 7B, 18A and 26A. DFL Rep. Jeff Brand likely lost 18A, and the other two are open seats that were held by the DFL last session.

Another too-close-to-call race in District 14B, now held by DFL Rep. Dan Wolgamott of St. Cloud, could provide that fourth flip. But after trailing by four votes in what appeared to be the final count, additional votes from Sherburne county gave Wolgamott a tiny lead. Either result would require a recount.

Another oddity came in District 54A where DFL Rep. Brad Tabke appeared to have lost. But Scott County elections officials discovered a tabulating error, zeroed out the results and said it was recounting all of the district’s precincts.

Wrote Scott County elections administrator Julie Hanson: “There was a result upload that erroneously included partial results for precincts, which our system should have suppressed. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused and will rereport once counting is complete.”

But House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth wasn’t waiting for more results. She tweeted that strong results in two Wisconsin border districts that show the GOP will hold two open seats are enough to give her confidence in winning control of the House.

“With 26A now in the GOP column & GOP wins in 41A & 41B, it appears that House Republicans have broken the Democrat trifecta in Minnesota with multiple DFL targets still outstanding,” Demuth said.

In speaking to supporters at GOP election night headquarters in Bloomington, Demuth said she’ll move forward with plans to take the majority when the rest of the numbers come through. 

“Our job is to restore that balance. We need to make sure that your tax dollars are not being wasted. We need to make sure that our tax dollars are not going to fraud. We need to hold Gov. Walz when he comes back accountable,” she said, hinting at what appeared to be a victory for former President Donald Trump. 

Despite close votes in the House, the Senate race was a clear victory for Ann Johnson Stewart.

“I could not be more grateful to voters across Senate District 45 for placing their trust in me,” she said in a statement Tuesday night. “Tonight’s results are clear: voters in our communities across the western suburbs want public servants that deliver, not divide. This is the honor of my life, and I’m excited to get to work not only for those who supported me, but for all residents of the district and every Minnesotan statewide.”  

Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy told DFLers gathered at a downtown St. Paul hotel that the special election was not easy.

“We faced a well-funded, self-funding opponent. We got started late in the race, because it was a special election and we had our primary,” Murphy said. “But we have a tremendous candidate, an amazing team, who puts our all into this race.”

Whether the DFL holds the governing trifecta it won in 2022 wasn’t clear, she said.

“But what we can say for sure is this: For the last two years, we have done incredible work, amazing work for the people of Minnesota. We have made progress that will last for generations to come.”

Since winning the majority in the 2018 election, the DFL caucus has controlled the Minnesota House. But the difference between the 2018 and 2020 elections and the aftermath of the 2022 election is that the DFL won the majority in the Senate, crafting the first DFL trifecta — House, Senate and governor — in a decade. 

MinnPost reporters Ava Kian and Winter Keefer contributed to this report.

Peter Callaghan

Peter Callaghan covers state government for MinnPost. Follow him on Twitter @CallaghanPeter or email him at pcallaghan@minnpost.com.

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