Legislative Update
Friends and Neighbors,
Entering the week of Thanksgiving I’m incredibly grateful to continue serving as our State Representative during the 2025-2026 Legislature. With the election in the rearview mirror, I’m excited to be back sharing regular email updates from the State Capitol and priority issues for Minnesotans across our district. I’m honored to have earned your trust and support, winning reelection with nearly 80% of the vote. Representing our community is a privilege I don’t take lightly, and I’m committed to standing up for our values and priorities in St. Paul.
A Historic Tie in the Minnesota House
This election brought a significant shift to Minnesota’s political landscape. House Republicans defended every vulnerable seat and gained three from the DFL, leading to a historic 67-67 tie in the Minnesota House of Representatives. The last time our state saw this kind of split was over 40 years ago following the 1978 election.
One of the big reasons to be thankful this November is the era of complete Democrat control of State Government is over.
Last session, Minnesota Democrats used their trifecta control of the legislature and the Governor's Office to push through one of the most extreme agendas in state history. They increased government spending by nearly 40%, enacted nearly $10 billion in new taxes, and passed sweeping mandates on everything from education to energy policy. Families across Minnesota were left footing the bill. The budget surplus was squandered and the session ended without any meaningful tax relief, despite the promise of $2000 rebate checks during the 2022 election. Their one-party rule silenced the voices of millions of Minnesotans, prioritizing partisan goals over practical solutions.
Now, with the DFL no longer holding a trifecta, there’s a crucial opportunity to restore balance and bring accountability back to state government. A tied House demands bipartisan solutions, ensuring the radical overreach of the past two years can no longer proceed unchecked.
While Republicans fell just one seat short of a majority, this tie means equal representation on all committees, with both parties holding an equal number of seats. Leadership discussions are underway to determine other important details about how power will be divided between the caucuses in this chamber. This rare situation will require both sides to work collaboratively—a challenge, but also an opportunity to advance policies that benefit all Minnesotans.
From my view, this is an opportunity to restore common sense while fighting for family budgets first. I will remain laser focused on lowering taxes and the regulatory burdens that are placed on job creators. The new mandates that have been added to small businesses, schools, and local governments result in higher costs for all of us at the grocery store, in our energy bills, and in our property tax statements. Now is an opportunity to change course.
Election Integrity
During this historic election, the highest level of scrutiny was on the administration of our elections from top to bottom. First, I am so incredibly grateful for all the citizens who volunteered to ensure the security of our local elections. But unfortunately, there are multiple instances of concerns in other parts of the state that must be fully investigated to restore the public trust. Simply put, the majority in the Minnesota House of Representatives could be determined by a race (HD 54A), where election officials are still unable to locate 20 missing ballots three weeks after the election. That race was decided by just 15 votes, meaning those missing ballots could completely have changed the outcome. There were key mistakes made throughout the election cycle by the Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and some local elections offices which could have impacted election outcomes and the House of Representatives must investigate these issues to restore the public trust.
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