Decision on the vacant seat left by the assassinated Minnesota House member will determine the leadership of the chamber.
A special legislative election is underway in Minnesota, with the outcome set to determine control of the state House. The election follows another act of political violence, the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah last Wednesday.
In the midst of this political turmoil, Vance Boelter, 57, is charged with federal and state murder, attempted murder, and other charges in relation to the June 14 attacks in Brooklyn Park, a suburb northwest of Minneapolis. The assassination occurred during a meeting of conservative activists, and another legislator and his wife were also shot but survived.
The election is for a seat previously held by Melissa Hortman, who was assassinated in June. Under the power-sharing deal, brokered by Hortman, Lisa Demuth would remain as speaker, replacing Hortman. However, if Democrat Xp Lee wins, the power-sharing deal would be preserved, maintaining the current balance in the House.
Lee, a former Brooklyn Park City Council member, won a three-way Democratic primary in August. On the Republican side, Ruth Bittner, the sole Republican on the primary ballot for the seat in the heavily Democratic district, is running against Lee.
An upset by Bittner would give Republicans control of the Minnesota House for the first time since 2018. Bittner, a real estate agent, stated that the recent acts of political violence briefly gave her pause about running for office, but she decided that shrinking back in fear would not solve the problem. An upset by Bittner would put Republicans in a stronger position to negotiate with Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and the Senate.
Meanwhile, two more special elections will be held on Nov. 4 in Minnesota Senate districts. One of the Senate special elections is to fill the seat vacated by Democratic Sen. Nicole Mitchell of Woodbury. The candidate running against Democratic candidate Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger in this election is currently unknown based on current available information.
The other Senate special election is for the seat of Republican Sen. Bruce Anderson of the Minneapolis exurb of Buffalo. Most legislative committees became evenly split between Republican and Democratic members under the power-sharing deal.
In a significant development, Hortman agreed to end her six-year tenure as speaker and take the title speaker emerita under the power-sharing deal. The election results will have far-reaching implications for the political landscape in Minnesota.
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