Expand / Collapse search
☰

Petitions filed to recall DFL lawmakers from MN House

By
Published  February 14, 2025 4:19pm CST
Politics
FOX 9

MN Republicans trying to recall DFL lawmakers

Despite a Minnesota legislator never being recalled in the state’s history, GOP lawmakers are launching an attempt to recall all 66 current DFL members from the Minnesota House of Representatives. FOX 9’s Soyoung Kim explains.

The Brief

    • On Feb. 14, the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office confirmed it had received petitions filed to recall several DFL lawmakers from their seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
    • The petitions stem from a DFL holdout earlier in the session as part of the effort to deny a House quorum in order to halt business until a power-sharing agreement was reached between the DFL and GOP.
    • A week earlier, on Feb. 6, leaders from both parties announced they had reached a power-sharing agreement to end the weeks-long standoff, effectively creating a quorum and allowing business to resume this legislative session.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office confirms it has received petitions filed to recall several DFL lawmakers from their seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

DFL recall petitions

Dig deeper:

The petitions stem from a holdout earlier in the session as part of the effort to deny a House quorum in order to halt business until a power-sharing agreement was reached between the DFL and GOP.

DFL, GOP reach deal to end MN House standoff

The standoff at the Minnesota House could soon be over as Democrats and Republicans have reached a power-sharing agreement. FOX 9's Bill Keller has more on the story.

The lawmakers petitioned to be recalled so far include Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park), Rep. Brion Curran (DFL- White Bear Lake), Rep. Kristin Bahner (DFL- Maple Grove), Rep. Lucy Rehm (DFL-Chanhassen), Rep. Julie Greene (DFL-Edina), Rep. Steve Elkins (DFL-Bloomington).

The Office of the Secretary of State confirms that each petition contains at least 25 signatures from eligible voters, which is required by Minnesota statutes.

The move signifies the first step in what would be a lengthy and difficult process for a recall of an elected official.

Recall process complex in Minnesota

The backstory:

State statutes provide a process for the recall of elected state officials.

However, it involves several actions that need to be successfully undertaken, and there has never been a state legislator who has been successfully recalled in the state’s history.

The first step is to submit a Proposed Recall Petition, which the Office of Secretary confirmed happened on Friday.

Once submitted, the Secretary of State reviews the proposal. The office said on Friday it will next forward each petition to the clerk of Minnesota Appellate Courts.

If found to be valid, the petitions will then be sent to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Throughout the process, there are several additional layers of scrutiny that follow – including a public hearing – before a recall election can be organized and held.

GOP lawmakers previously mentioned it could take upwards of 10 months to complete the process.

A copy of the petitions filed can be found below:

The Source: Recall petitions filed with the Minnesota Secretary of State and previous FOX 9 reporting.

PoliticsMinnesota