Minnesota House DFL, GOP strike agreement to end stalemate
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A nearly four-week standoff over control in the Minnesota House could officially end Thursday under a deal that gives Republicans working control of the floor and committees for at least a month but allows Democrats to gain a foothold if an election restores a tie.
The deal struck Wednesday will be outlined at separate party press conferences planned for Thursday, illustrating that there is still some institutional repair to be done.
Sources familiar with the parameters of the agreement, who requested anonymity to discuss it before leaders appear in public, told MPR News the deal gives Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth the path to become House speaker for the entire two-year term. There would be some conditions on her authority, the extent of which were not fully clear Wednesday night.
The sources, reached independently, also said Republicans will have control over committees while their party has 67 members to the DFL’s 66 members. That would give way to shared control of panels if Democrats win a March 11 special election.
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The one exception would be a new fraud oversight committee, where Republicans would have more members but not unlimited power.
DFL Rep. Brad Tabke, who won a narrow election, would not have his seating challenged. But the agreement won’t stop additional scrutiny into his race that went to trial over an election administration problem that resulted in 20 ballots being discarded prior to counting.
Staff complements for the two caucuses will be equal.
The House has been unable to convene as Democrats have boycotted since the Jan. 14 session start and Republicans couldn’t muster the 68 members to conduct business.
The agreement stemmed from closed-door talks. It should allow the House to organize on Thursday when it meets in the afternoon.
If it holds up, it would head off a planned Minnesota Supreme Court hearing set for Thursday morning in the latest lawsuit over the stalemate. Republicans were seeking a pathway to punish Democrats over their holdout.
House Leaders Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, and Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, have been leading the private talks but other members have been brought in to help mediate a solution.
The issues had been a sticking point for weeks as the leaders prepared to begin the 2025 legislative session. A Minnesota Supreme Court ruling in January formally set the standard for a quorum — the threshold for the chamber to do its business — at 68 votes.
Republicans hold 67 seats to 66 for the DFL. A special election on March 11 will determine if there is a tie or if Republicans have an outright majority.
The court cases helped drive leaders back to the table for discussions. Democrats were seeking assurances that if the House is tied that there would be joint control and they wanted a guarantee that Republicans wouldn’t try to remove Tabke, a DFLer who won his Shakopee race in November by 14 votes. It was upheld in both a recount and after a trial when a judge issued an advisory opinion saying it would have been impossible for the Republican challenger to overtake him.
Republicans wanted Democrats to recognize that they have more votes right now and should be able to run committee hearings and floor debates until circumstances change.
Lawmakers have about four months left in the legislative session to write a two-year budget and advance other policies that arise as priorities.