Minnesota House District 40B is comprised of northern Roseville and eastern Shoreview. Given those are first ring suburban areas, they trend solidly blue every election cycle (or least they have in the Donald J. Trump era of the Republican party). And sure enough in the 2024 election cycle, DFLer Curtis Johnson easily defeated his GOP opponent (and two-time NARN guest) Paul Wikstrom by 30+ points.
But with a few weeks remaining in the 2024 campaign, Wikstrom came out with a hard-hitting ad which alleged Johnson didn't even live in the district which he was vying to represent in the MN House.
Minnesota House Republicans may have a temporary majority when the Legislature convenes this January after a judge ruled Friday that a Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidate did not live in the district he was elected to represent.
Curtis Johnson, a DFLer who defeated his Republican opponent in House District 40B by 30 points in the November election, did not establish residence at his 450-foot Roseville studio apartment, making him ineligible to take office in January, Ramsey County District Judge Leonardo Castro ruled.
Rumors that Johnson continued to live at his house outside the district in Little Canada swirled in political circles months before the election, but it was an investigation and post-election lawsuit filed by Republican candidate Paul Wikstom that resulted in Johnson’s disqualification. Wikstrom, of Shoreview, sought to nullify the results of the Nov. 5 election before the start of the 2025 legislative session and asked for a special election.
Minnesota’s state Constitution requires legislative candidates to live in their district for six months before an election.
“Obtaining a lease and changing your voter registration does not satisfy this requirement; meaningful physical presence is required to show genuine intent to reside in the district,” Castro wrote in his ruling. “The people of 40B deserve no less.”
So now what? Well according to Minnesota law "the governor shall issue 22 days after the first day of the legislative session a writ calling for a special election." Since the MN Legislature convenes on January 14, that would put a special election date in early February. So a GOP majority would last all of about a month since it's likely a new DFL candidate prevails in what is a solid blue district.
Instead of acknowledging the merits of the case, Dem leaders engaged in their go-to retort of "REPUBLICANS POUNCE!" Since DFLers didn't want alleged burglar Sen. Nicole Mitchell (DFL-Woodbury) gone until after the conclusion of the 2024 session (they needed her vote in the razor thin 34-33 Dem majority), they once again show they don't much care about legalese when a legislative majority is at stake.
In a statement responding to the decision, House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said she believed the court made a mistake in not dismissing the case and echoed Johnson’s attorneys claims that a residency issue must be resolved before an election.
“We will appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court, and expect the Supreme Court will dismiss the case,” she said. “The Republicans are seeking to do in court what they were unable to do at the ballot box. Curtis Johnson won District 40B by 7,503 votes, and no court should lightly overturn the will of the voters.”
Just classic prog logic. It's not the undeniable bad (or flat out illegal) behavior of their members that's the problem as much as it is Republicans' reaction to it. I guess they'll just have to cope and seethe with this one.
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