Nothing changed regarding the political alignment in St. Paul after two special elections were held Monday, February 12. Senate Republicans came up just short in their effort to gain a seat when former State Representative Carla Bigham narrowly defeated former State Representative Denny McNamara by a narrow 50% to 47% margin in a hotly contested race that included a lot of spending by outside groups. The Senate district which includes Hastings Cottage Grove, South Saint Paul Park, is a long-time DFL district.
There were no surprises in the special election in House district 23B, an area just south of Mankato including Lake Crystal, Good Thunder and Vernon Center, where Republican Jeremy Munson easily prevailed by a 59% to 39% margin over DFLer, Melissa Wagner. DFLers were looking for an upset and a rare win in a conservative district but came up way short.
On the legal front, Senate Republicans won at least a temporary victory when a Ramsey County District Court judge threw out the lawsuit that attempted to remove Senate President Michelle Fischbach from the Senate. While it provided some positive news for Senate Republicans, the ruling left open the door of the same claim being filed once the legislative session starts next week and Senator Fischbach starts making votes on the Senate floor. Another lawsuit is anticipated once the session convenes on Tuesday and there’s a possibility this case will go all the way to the Minnesota Supreme Court for the final word. If Senator Fischbach is ultimately removed from the Senate, it will throw the 2018 session into chaos, since the Senate will be tied until her special election is held later in the spring. She has stated publicly she will resign as Lieutenant Governor and run for her old seat if this occurs.
