Political power struggles shift at Minnesota Capitol

Minnesota House Democrats extended their boycott into a fourth week at the Capitol Monday.

The parties are battling over who should control the House and for how long.

What's changed?

Team building:

House leaders met for the first time in a week Monday morning.

But by the afternoon, the rhetoric remained the same, although perhaps with a note of hope.

"This was the first day of team negotiations, and we're hopeful that maybe that will actually shake some things loose," said Rep. Paul Torkelson, (R-Hanska). "It's a process."

Not only was Monday the first day of team negotiations, but leaders met twice: Once in the morning and also into the evening.

So there's at least some hope of progress in their power struggle.

Senate simplicity

New power structure:

There’s no such struggle in the Senate.

The DFL is the majority party in the Senate now, but leaders promised a more bipartisan approach as they took the reins Monday afternoon.

Sen. Doron Clark, (DFL-Minneapolis) was sworn-in Monday as the 34th Democrat in the state senate, creating a DFL majority for the first time in 2025.

Leaders pledged to keep a bipartisan approach to the session, even as Republicans expressed reservations.

"If Democrats are not showing good faith and working across the aisle trying to find solutions, it's going to get more and more difficult as they are on an island," said Sen. Mark Johnson, the minority leader from East Grand Forks.

Senate setting example?

Sharing power still?:

The Senate’s power sharing agreement ended Monday, but the only legislative work getting done publicly is in the Senate.

Committees are meeting, and some of them could continue with chairs from each party.

And floor sessions last longer than a gavel, a roll call, and an adjournment for lack of quorum.

"I hope they work their way through the very difficult and worthy issues that they're debating over in that body," said Majority Leader Erin Murphy, (DFL-St. Paul). "But that's another body."

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