Date set for Minnesota House District 40B special election
MINNEAPOLIS — There is now an official date for the special election for a metro House race, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday.
The election for House District 40B will be held on March 11.
The election was originally scheduled for Jan. 28 after the DFL winner in November's election didn't appeal the judge's ruling that he didn't live there and couldn't serve. The Minnesota Supreme Court canceled the Jan. 28 election after finding Walz set the date before state law requires.
The Minnesota Republican Party and Minnesota Voters Alliance sued over the timing, arguing that state law is clear that if there's a vacancy following an election, the governor must wait until 22 days after the first day of session to issue a writ of special election. Walz called the special election on Dec. 27, the same day Curtis Johnson, the Democrat won, said he wouldn't take the oath of office.
The Court agreed and said the election was scheduled "prematurely and therefore must be quashed."
House Democrats have been boycotting the session, leaving Republicans unable to do anything official after the state Supreme Court ruled that since there are 134 seats, a quorum is reached once a single party has 68. Republicans have 67 seats while the DFL has 66.
Democrats have maintained their boycott is a parliamentary tactic to deny quorum, so Republicans don't take control of the chamber with the one-seat advantage they have until the District 40B special election.
On Tuesday, the Minnesota Republican Party launched a recall election effort targeting all House Democrats boycotting session.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the DFL Party characterized the recall effort as "desperate" and condemned Republicans for refusing to say whether they would unseat DFL Rep. Brad Tabke whom a judge determined the valid winner of a narrow House race. The issue is a sticking point for Democrats, they've said, that's part of the reason they aren't showing up to the state capitol.
Wednesday night, leadership for both parties announced they reached an agreement about how the chamber will be organized for the next two years, which will bring Democrats back to the capitol.
