The 2020 Election results are in and there is a lot to report! 2020 has certainly proven to be an even more competitive year than 2016. ARRM has compiled the most recent Election news and we're here to break things down for you.
Congressional Results
This cycle, Minnesota had one Senate seat and all eight House seats up for reelection. On the Senate side, incumbent Tina Smith won over challenger Jason Lewis with 48.8% of the vote. Senator Smith will go on to serve another term, lasting 6 years.
As things stand in the Senate, the Republican Party has control over 48 seats and the Democrats have 46 seats. Four races have yet to be called.
In the House, incumbents Jim Hagedorn (CD1), Angie Craig (CD2), Dean Phillips (CD3), Betty McCollum (CD4), Ilhan Omar (CD5), Tom Emmer (CD6), and Pete Stauber (CD8) won reelection. In District 7, former State Senator Michelle Fischbach defeated longtime DFL Representative Collin Peterson.
As things stand in the House, the Democratic Party has control over 215 seats while the Republicans have 196 seats. Twenty-four races have yet to be called.
Minnesota State Results
On the state level, the final results are still up in the air. According to MinnPost, in the Senate, the DFL Party has won 32 seats and the Republican Party has won 31 seats. Four races are too close to call. As things stand, it looks as if four incumbents lost reelection. Districts 14, 27, 56, and 58 will have new representation. It is predicated that the Republican Party will maintain the majority.
Additionally, both Paul Gazelka (SD09) and Susan Kent (SD53) were reelected as Majority Leader and Minority Leader respectively.
The new incoming Senators are:
Jen McEwen (DFL) - District 7
Aric Putnam (DFL) - District 14
Gene Dornink (R) - District 27
Mary Kunesh-Podein (DFL) - District 41
Ann Johnson Stewart (DFL) - District 44
Julia Coleman (R) - District 47
Lindsey Port (DFL) - District 56
Zach Duckworth (R) - District 58
Omar Fateh (DFL) - District 62
Erin Murphy (DFL) - District 64
Again according to MinnPost, in the House, the DFL Party has won 65 seats and the Republican Party has won 59 seats. Ten races are still too close to call. As things stand, it looks as if five incumbents lost reelection. Districts 5A, 19A, 27B, 54A, and 55A will have new House representation. It is predicted that the Democratic Party will maintain the majority.
Additionally, both Ryan Winkler (46A) and Kurt Daudt (31A) were reelected as the Majority Leader and Minority Leader respectively. Melissa Hortman (36B) was also reelected as the Speaker of the House.
The new incoming Representatives are:
John Burkel (R) - District 1A
Heather Keeler (DFL) - District 4A
Matt Bliss (R) - District 5A
Spencer Igo (R) - District 5B
Jordan Rasmusson (R) - District 8A
Susan Akland (R) - District 19A
Luke Frederick (DFL) - District 19B
Brian Pfarr (R) - District 20A
Bjorn Olson (R) - District 23A
Liz Boldon (DFL) - District 25B
Patricia Mueller (R) - District 27B
Donald Raleigh (R) - District 38A
Sandra Feist (DFL) - District 41B
Cedrick Frazier (DFL) - District 45A
Liz Reyer (DFL) - District 51B
Keith Franke (R) - District 54A
Erik Mortensen (R) - District 55A
Jessica Hanson (DFL) - District 56A
Kaela Berg (DFL) - District 56B
Esther Agbaje (DFL) - District 59B
Emma Greenman (DFL) - District 63B
Athena Hollins (DFL) - District 66B
John Thompson (DFL) - District 67A
Impact on ARRM's 2021 Priorities
The upcoming 2021 Legislative Session will be challenging for many reasons. First, the state is entering the upcoming biennium with a large budget deficit to address. We will know the exact numbers of the projected deficit in early December with the release of the November budget forecast but initial estimates predict a hole anywhere between 4 and 6 billion dollars. In addition to the deficit, we will be operating in a mostly virtual manner, needing to educate and lobby legislators through Zoom meetings and emails as opposed to face-to-face meetings.
With all of this being said, ARRM has put together a robust legislative agenda that aims to address the needs of our membership while also looking towards the future of disability services in Minnesota. We anticipate releasing our full agenda in early December to members and will be looking to you all for your support through grassroots advocacy to get us across the finish line.
Following the 2020 Election, Minnesota remains the only state in the nation with a divided legislature. Historically, ARRM has been able to work with both sides of the aisle to advocate for providers and the individuals they support. We are eager to continue that tradition during the 2021 Legislative Session.