ST. PAUL, Minn. — On the first day of Minnesota’s 2025 legislative session, House Democrats opted to boycott the proceedings in a bid to prevent Republicans from leveraging a narrow one-seat majority to exclude one of their members. Despite the Democrats’ absence, the Republican faction proceeded and elected their leader as the House speaker, a decision that Democrats have vowed to challenge legally.
The House session commenced when Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon entered the chamber to fulfill his legal obligation. However, the Democratic side remained vacant while only Republican members responded “present” when the roll call was conducted. Simon pointed out that the assembly did not have the requisite 68 members for a quorum and subsequently declared the chamber adjourned before leaving.
Republicans, remaining in their seats, contended that they had a quorum with 67 members present, and subsequently voted to appoint their former Minority Leader, Lisa Demuth from Cold Spring, as the speaker. The Democratic response was immediate, denouncing the election as an “unlawful sham lacking any legal authority.”
A contentious issue is whether Republicans will act on their threat to withhold the seating of Democratic Rep. Brad Tabke from Shakopee. Tabke’s recent victory was by a slim margin of 14 votes, despite the fact that local election officials had accidentally destroyed 20 ballots that were not counted. A ruling earlier the same day confirmed Tabke’s status as the legitimate winner, dismissing a Republican appeal for a special election in a district that could have favored them.
Following the November elections, the House stood at a stalemate of 67-67. Leaders from both parties began discussions for a power-sharing agreement based on the presumption of an even split. This arrangement was complicated by a recent judicial ruling stating that a newly elected Democrat in a solidly Democratic district did not reside at the registered address, thus giving Republicans a slight edge of 67-66 pending another special election in two weeks.
As tensions escalated, top Democrat Melissa Hortman from Brooklyn Park disclosed during a news conference in Tabke’s district that the Republicans were unwilling to guarantee Tabke’s seat in final negotiations. Hortman suggested a compromise allowing Demuth to serve as speaker for the full session while reverting to a previous power-sharing agreement, anticipating that the special election would restore the tie. Nonetheless, Hortman mentioned that Demuth appeared open to pursuing actions against Tabke in the future.
Demuth, in her acceptance remarks, pledged to work diligently to cultivate a culture of respect and civility within the House, though she refrained from mentioning the boycott. “We have a responsibility to engage in passionate debate, but we must also respect our differences,” she asserted.
The Republican assembly was then adjourned until Wednesday. In comments to reporters, Rep. Harry Niska, the No. 2 Republican leader, emphasized that Simon, as part of the executive branch, is restricted by the constitutional separation of powers from overseeing House operations. However, House Democrats insist that the actions taken by the GOP were unlawful and that Demuth does not hold the position of speaker. Simon expressed his intention to request a ruling from the Minnesota Supreme Court regarding the legitimacy of the Republican actions, asserting that until a speaker is duly elected, he remains the presiding officer.
The timeline for a court resolution remains uncertain. This legislative session marks Minnesota’s first experience with such a boycott, although similar scenarios have played out in other states. In Wisconsin, Democrats went underground in 2011 to oppose majority Republican initiatives regarding union rights for public employees. Moreover, Oregon Republicans have executed multiple walkouts recently, including an extensive six-week protest in 2023 over discussions around abortion, gender-affirming care, and gun legislation. In Michigan, the Democratic leadership took measures to compel absent members to return after a Democrat aligned with Republicans.
The disruption in the Minnesota House sharply contrasts with the orderly atmosphere in the state Senate, which is currently tied 33-33, awaiting a special election scheduled for January 28 to fill the seat of a deceased senator. This election is anticipated to restore a Democratic majority of 34-33, and Senate leaders have already come to a power-sharing arrangement with co-presiding officers from both parties.
The escalating polarization within the House raises complex legal questions, according to David Schultz, a political science professor at Hamline University in St. Paul. He remarked, “We find ourselves in a realm of ambiguous legal precedent, and definitive solutions are elusive.” There is also uncertainty regarding the courts’ ability to mediate conflicts arising within the legislative domain and whether Republicans would comply with court rulings should they occur. Schultz added, “The session is starting off in a particularly hostile manner, which does not encourage optimism for the months to come.”
