All Things Considered

Politics expert says evenly divided government would be good for Minnesota

The Minnesota House floor
Minnesota House members convene for their first joint session of the year following a power-sharing agreement at the State Capitol in St. Paul on Feb. 6.
Tim Evans for MPR News

The Minnesota House became tied this week with the swearing in of a new DFL House member on Monday. Republicans and DFLers now each hold 67 seats each and have a power sharing agreement in place.

woman smiles for a photo
Shannon Watson is the founder and executive director of Majority in the Middle, a Minnesota based organization working toward a civic and political culture.
Courtesy photo

Shannon Watson said an evenly divided chamber would be good for politics.

That was before news broke Tuesday that Republican state Sen. Justin Eichorn had been arrested for allegedly soliciting a minor for prostitution.

“The thing that 67-67 is really great for is the opportunity for them to come together and find the things that they agree on and compromise,” said Watson, the founder and executive director of Minnesota-based Majority in the Middle.

“Everybody is represented, sort of, at the same level. And I think that’s important for constituents to feel like their legislator has just as much power as everybody else.”

Click play on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.