Election Results: Minnesota Legislature
The make up of the Minnesota Legislature will change significantly as a result of this year’s elections. An overview of these changes (and a preliminary list of the 2011 House and Senate Freshmen) follows.
MINNESOTA HOUSE
Pre-election makeup: DFL 87; GOP 47
Projected new makeup: DFL 62; GOP 72
House Republicans were expected to pick up a number of seats, but very few predicted they would win the 21 seats necessary to regain control (which they did). No GOP incumbents were defeated. The current House Majority Leader, Kurt Zellers, will likely become the next Speaker of the House.
Notable Democrats who were defeated include: Bernie Leider, the 26-year House Veteran and Transportation Finance Chair from Crookston; Agriculture Committee Chair Al Juhnke; and Loren Solberg, Ways & Means Committee Chair.
Races marked with an asterisk (*) will automatically be re-counted, as their results are within a one-half of one percent margin. Additional re-counts are possible.
House GOP Pickups
- 01A Dan Fabian (R – Roseau) defeated Incumbent Rep. David Olin (D – Thief River Falls)
- 01B Deb Kiel (R – Crookston) defeated Incumbent Rep. Bernie Lieder (D – Crookston)
- 02B David Hancock (R – Bemidji) defeated Incumbent Rep. Brita Sailer (D – Park Rapids)
- 03B Carolyn McElfatrick (R – Grand Rapids) defeated Incumbent Rep. Loren Solberg (D – Grand Rapids)
- 08B Roger Crawford (R – Mora) defeated Incumbent Rep. Tim Faust (D – Hinckley)
- 11B Mary Franson (R – Alexandria) took the seat formerly held by Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba (D – Long Prairie)
- 12B Mike LeMieur (R – Little Falls) defeated Incumbent Rep. Al Doty (D – Royalton)
- 13B Bruce Vogel (R – Willmar) defeated Incumbent Rep. Al Juhnke (D – Willmar)
- 15B* King Banaian (R – St. Cloud) took the seat formerly held by Rep. Larry Haws (D – St. Cloud)
- 16A Sondra Erickson (R – Princeton) defeated Incumbent Rep. Gail Kulick Jackson (D – Milaca)
- 17B Bob Barrett (R – Shafer) took the seat formerly held by Rep. Jeremy Kalin (D – North Branch)
- 25B* Kelby Woodard (R – Belle Plaine) defeated Incumbent Rep. David Bly (D – Northfield)
- 27A* Rich Murray (R – Albert Lea) defeated Incumbent Rep. Robin Brown (D – Moscow Township)
- 30B Mike Benson (R – Rochester) defeated Incumbent Rep. Andy Welti (D – Plainview)
- 37B Kurt Bills (R – Rosemount) defeated Incumbent Rep. Phillip Sterner (D – Rosemount)
- 38A Diane Anderson (R – Eagan) defeated Incumbent Rep. Sandra Masin (D – Eagan)
- 38B Doug Wardlow (R – Eagan) defeated Incumbent Rep. Mike Obermueller (D – Eagan)
- 40A Pam Myhra (R – Burnsville) defeated Incumbent Rep. Will Morgan (D – Burnsville)
- 41B Pat Mazorol (R – Bloomington) defeated Incumbent Rep. Paul Rosenthal (D – Edina)
- 42A Kirk Stensrud (R – Eden Prairie) defeated Incumbent Rep. Maria Ruud (D – Minnetonka)
- 49B Branden Peterson (R – Andover) defeated Incumbent Rep. Jerry Newton (D – Coon Rapids)
- 53A Linda Runbeck (R – Circle Pines) defeated Incumbent Rep. Paul Gardner (D – Shoreview)
- 56A Kathy Lohmer (R – Lake Elmo) defeated Incumbent Rep. Julie Bunn (D – Lake Elmo)
- 56B Andrea Kieffer (R – Woodbury) defeated Incumbent Rep. Marsha Swails (D – Woodbury)
- 57A John Kriesel (R – Cottage Grove) took the seat formerly held by Rep. Karla Bigham (D – Cottage Grove)
Open seats retained by House GOP
- 14A Tim O’Driscoll (R – Sartell) / seat formerly held by Rep. Dan Severson (R – Sartell)
- 17A Kurt Daudt (R – Cambridge) / seat formerly held by Rep. Rob Eastlund (R – Isanti)
- 19B Joe McDonald (R – Delano) / seat formerly held by Rep. Tom Emmer (R – Delano)
- 21A Chris Swedzinski (R – Marshall) / seat formerly held by Rep. Marty Seifert (R – Marshall)
- 22A Joe Schomacker (R – Luverne) / seat formerly held by Rep. Doug Magnus (R – Slayton)
- 25A Glenn Gruenhagen (R – Glencoe) / seat formerly held by Rep. Laura Brod (R – New Prague)
- 29A Duane Quam (R – Byron) / seat formerly held by Rep. Randy Demmer (R – Hayfield)
- 34A Ernie Leidiger (R – Waconia) / seat formerly held by Rep. Paul Kohls (R – Victoria)
Open seats retained by House DFL
- 07B Kerry Gauthier (D – Duluth) / seat formerly held by Rep. Roger Reinert (D – Duluth)
- 60A Marion Greene (D – Minneapolis) / seat formerly held by Rep. Margaret Anderson Kelliher (D – Minneapolis)
- 65A Rena Moran (D – St. Paul) / seat formerly held by Rep. Cy Thao (D – St. Paul)
MINNESOTA SENATE
Pre-election makeup: DFL 46; GOP 21
Projected new makeup: DFL 30; GOP 37
Senate Republicans added 16 new members to their caucus to give them the control of the State Senate for the first time in 38 years (since party designation.) No GOP incumbents were defeated. Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem or Senator Amy Koch, the head of the Senate campaign committee, are probable candidates for the Majority Leader position.
Like the House, Senators also lost some senior members. Don Betzold, the Chair of the State Government Budget Division and Judiciary Budget Division Chair Leo Foley were both defeated.
Senate GOP Pickups
- SD04 John Carlson (R – Bemidji) defeated Incumbent Sen. Mary Olson (D – Bemidji)
- SD10 Gretchen Hoffman (R – Vergas) defeated Incumbent Sen. Dan Skogan (D – Hewitt)
- SD15 John Pederson (R – St. Cloud) took the seat formerly held by Sen. Tarryl Clark (D – St. Cloud)
- SD16 Dave Brown (R – Becker) defeated Incumbent Sen. Lisa Fobbe (D – Zimmerman)
- SD17 Sean Nienow (R – Cambridge) defeated Incumbent Sen. Rick Olseen (D – Harris)
- SD22 Doug Magnus (R – Slayton) took the seat formerly held by Sen. Jim Vickerman (D – Tracy)
- SD25 Al Dekruif (R – Elysian) defeated Incumbent Sen. Kevin Dahle (D – Northfield)
- SD28 John Howe (R – Red Wing) took the seat formerly held by Sen. Steve Murphy (D – Red Wing)
- SD30 Carla Nelson (R – Rochester) defeated Incumbent Sen. Ann Lynch (D – Rochester)
- SD31 Jeremy Miller (R – Winona) defeated Incumbent Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes (D – Winona)
- SD38 Ted Daley (R – Eagan) defeated Incumbent Sen. Jim Carlson (D – Eagan)
- SD40 Dan Hall (R – Burnsville) defeated Incumbent Sen. John Doll (D – Burnsville)
- SD47 Benjamin Kruse (R – Brooklyn Park) defeated Incumbent Sen. Leo Foley (D – Coon Rapids)
- SD51 Pam Wolf (R – Spring Lake Park) defeated Incumbent Sen. Don Betzold (D – Fridley)
- SD53 Roger Chamberlain (R – Lino Lakes) defeated Incumbent Sen. Sandy Rummel (D – White Bear Lake)
- SD56 Ted Lille (R – Lake Elmo) defeated Incumbent Sen. Kathy Saltzman (D – Woodbury)
Open seats retained by Senate GOP
- SD12 Paul Gazelka (R – Baxter) / seat formerly held by Sen. Paul Koering (D – Fort Ripley)
- SD18 Scott Newman (R – Hutchinson) / seat formerly held by Sen. Steve Dille (D – Dassel)
- SD21 Gary Dahms (R – Redwood Falls) / seat formerly held by Sen. Dennis Frederickson (D – New Ulm)
- SD36 Dave Thompson (R – Lakeville) / seat formerly held by Sen. Pat Pariseau (D – Farmington)
- SD49 Michelle Benson (R – Ham Loake) / seat formerly held by Sen. Debbie Johnson (D – Ham Lake)
Open seats retained by Senate DFL
- SD07 Roger Reinert (D – Duluth) / seat formerly held by Sen. Yvonne Prettner Solon (D – Duluth)
- SD50 Barbara Goodwin (D – Columbia Heights) / seat formerly held by Sen. Satveer Chaudhary (D – Fridley)
- SD67 John Harrington (D – St. Paul) / seat formerly held by Sen. Mee Moua (D – St. Paul)