The 2018 Election brought quite a bit of change to what the landscape will look like in St. Paul when the next legislative session begins on Tuesday, January 8. Below is a quick summary of the results of the key races across the state.
Governor’s Office
Democrat Tim Walz has been elected Governor, defeating Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson. Governor Elect Walz is the former Congressman from District 01 in southern Minnesota, serving eight years in Congress. Former State House Representative Peggy Flanagan will serve as Lt. Governor.
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Democrats have taken control of the Minnesota House of Representatives, gaining 18 seats to establish their majority at 75 members compared to the now 59 members of the Republican House Caucus. The 2018 Election has brought in 39 new members, 34 of which are Democrats which total about 45% of the entire Democratic Caucus.
One race in District 05A was decided by only four votes. Currently, former Representative John Persell is in the lead but because of the small margin of victory this race will go to a mandatory recount.
Leadership elections to determine the new Speaker of the House and Majority Leader are set for Thursday, November 8.
Minnesota Senate
Members of the Senate were not up for re-election this year, with the exception of one special election in Senate District 13, which was vacated when Senator Michelle Fishbach resigned to assume the role of Lt. Governor. With the open seat, the Senate for a time was tied at 33-33. Jeff Howe (R), the current House Representative from House District 13A won the open seat and the Republican party will remain in the majority in the Senate.
Congressional Races
Statewide, Minnesota saw four of its eight congressional districts flip parties. Congressional District 01 which was formally represented by now Governor-Elect Walz switched to Republican control with Jim Hagedorn (R) claiming victory over Dan Feehan (DFL). Angie Craig (DFL) defeated incumbent Congressman Jason Lewis (R) in CD 2, Dean Phillips (DFL) defeated incumbent Congressman Eric Paulsen (R) in CD 3, and Pete Stauber (R) claimed Congressman Rick Nolan’s (DFL) seat by defeating Joe Radinovich (DFL) in CD 8.
Illhan Omar (DFL) was elected to replace Congressman Keith Ellison(DFL) in CD 5, becoming the first Muslim Woman to serve in Congress, and Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL, CD4), Congressman Tom Emmer (R, CD6) and Congressman Collin Peterson (DFL, CD7) were all re-elected to their seats.
Other State Wide Races
The Democrats swept all other statewide races, claiming victory for the following offices:
- United States Senate: Amy Klobuchar (DFL)
- United States Senate: Tina Smith (DFL)
- Secretary of State: Steve Simon (DFL)
- State Auditor: Julie Blaha (DFL)
- State Attorney General: Keith Ellison (DFL)
ARRM’s Next Steps
ARRM staff is already busy familiarizing ourselves with the new members and the new landscape of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Historically, ARRM has been able to work in a bi-partisan manor with legislators on both sides of the aisle. We are eager to continue this work with the new DFL majority in the House and the returning Republican majority in the Senate, as well as building a relationship with the newly elected Governor and his administration.
Additionally, ARRM is currently working with other coalition members of the Best Life Alliance to develop next steps for grassroots advocacy, for members to engage in prior to the start of the legislative session. With 39 new legislators, it is now more important than ever to be educating your legislators about who we are, what we do and why it is important to communities across Minnesota. Look for specific instructions in the coming days with messaging and next steps.
If you have specific questions about who won in your legislative race, you can view all election results on the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Website.
-- Sara Grafstrom, Director of State and Federal Policy