St. Paul, MN - Today, at the start of the 2025 Legislative Session, State Representative Pete Johnson (DFL - Duluth) joined his House DFL colleagues in denying quorum in response to the illegitimate power grab made by House Republicans - including the invalid election of a House Speaker and an unprecedented threat to deny the seat of a duly elected DFL Representative.
“When voters delivered a tied Minnesota House of Representatives, I looked forward to beginning my first legislative session under a clear message from the voters: ‘Figure out how to work together.’ I took this to heart and pledged to prioritize collaboration and cooperation while standing firm in our shared values. Unfortunately, what we saw today from House Republicans was an attempt to throw away the will of the voters,” said Rep. Johnson. “As House Republicans play political games, I will be working with our community on how to best deliver on the needs of Duluth and the entire state. In the meantime, I urge my Republican colleagues to return to the negotiating table and help craft a legitimate power-sharing agreement that the voters asked for.”
House Democrats have engaged in power-sharing negotiations with Republicans since the conclusion of the 2024 election. This morning, DFL Leader Hortman offered a compromise to GOP Leader Demuth that would have Republicans run the Minnesota House for the next three weeks while they have a one-seat advantage, until after the outcome of a January 28th special election in a safe DFL district, at which point the Minnesota House would operate under the power-sharing agreement the two leaders negotiated over the past 60 days.
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