When elected Minnesota House Dems indicated they would boycott the legislative session as it began three weeks ago, I equated their actions to that of a spoiled child. Specifically, the minute you tell a bratty kid they can no longer do whatever they want whenever they want, they have a tendency to throw a screaming fit. Now, a parent can react one of two ways. They could either a) give in to the kid because they grow weary of the histrionics or b) wait until the little brat gets tuckered out when he/she realizes said fit is all in vain.
In this analogy, House Republicans chose the latter.
The nearly monthlong impasse that halted business in the Minnesota House ended late Wednesday as Democrats and Republicans reached a deal to get back to work.
House GOP Leader Lisa Demuth, of Cold Spring, will be the chamber’s speaker through 2026 under the deal reached by the two caucuses, according to multiple sources briefed on the agreement. Demuth, who is Black, will be the first person of color to become speaker of the Minnesota House.
Republicans will chair all House committees for the next month while they hold a 67-66 advantage. A March 11 special election for a safely blue Roseville-area seat, called by Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday, is expected to bring the chamber to a tie. Once the House is evenly divided, Democrats and Republicans will co-chair the committees.
The House DFL and GOP caucuses issued a brief joint statement Wednesday night, saying “an agreement has been reached to organize the Minnesota House effective Thursday.
Unless I'm missing something, this is a total capitulation by the DFL. The Republicans had indeed agreed to the same number of members on committees before it was learned that the DFL candidate who prevailed in House District 40B would be disqualified due to not living in the district. But once Curtis Johnson's victory was invalidated, the GOP had a literal majority and thus were no longer under any obligation to "share power." Do you honestly believe if the roles were reversed that the Dems would've continued to work under a power sharing agreement made under false pretenses?
After this three week long stunt, House DFLers realized that their gaslighting was not having the impact they had hoped for. I can't help but think this was partial motivation for them to tuck their collective tails between their legs and scurry back to St. Paul.
KSTP/SurveyUSA poll results: Lower taxes, health care and stopping fraud are top issues https://t.co/VtTdns9FXf
— Tom Hauser (@thauserkstp) February 6, 2025
You don't need an official poll to realize that the public overwhelmingly favors Republicans when it comes to lower taxes and stopping fraud. It's an indisputable fact that the DFL trifecta spent all of an $18 billion surplus in '23 and raised taxes on top of that. Combine that with Dem House members being absent from the first three weeks of the 2025 session and you have a recipe for minority status after the 2026 elections.
Way to stand firm, GOP! This was a welcome change from previous sessions where the party often seemed to be playing defense, even with a healthy majority. Don't let off the gas now.
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