Minnesota Minute: Walz for Governor, Again

September 17, 2025

Walz for Governor, Again

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced Tuesday morning he will run for a third term. He has yet to share who his pick will be for lieutenant governor – current Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is seeking one of Minnesota’s U.S. Senate seats that will be open with the retirement of current U.S. Senator Tina Smith. Walz was first elected as governor in 2018. If he wins in 2026, he will be the first person in Minnesota’s history to win three consecutive four-year terms as governor. The 2026 gubernatorial race in Minnesota has had a few Republicans announce their candidacy, Kendall Qualls, current state Rep. Kristin Robbins, and 2022 GOP nominee for governor, Scott Jensen. In 2022, Walz beat Jensen by more than 7 percentage points.

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Minnesota House of Representatives

Special Election – District 34B

Tuesday, Sept. 16th also marked the special election for Minnesota House seat 34B, formally filled by Speaker Melissa Hortman who was assassinated in June. Democratic candidate Xp Lee earned more than 60 percent of the vote over Republican challenger Ruth Bittner. Lee comes to the MN House as a health equity analyst for the Minnesota Department of Health and a former member of the Brooklyn Park City Council. The results for this special election solidified the Minnesota House tie of 67 Democrats and 67 Republicans.

 

Minnesota Senate

Democratic Sen. Ann Rest announced yesterday that she will retire when her current term ends in 2026. Rest has served in the Minnesota Legislature for more than 40 years representing the western areas of Minneapolis, the cities of Golden Valley, Crystal, Robbinsdale, Plymouth and her hometown of New Hope. She is the only Minnesota legislator ever to chair the Taxes Committees in both the House and the Senate. In addition to leading the Taxes Committee, Senator Rest is Chair of the of the Legislative Audit Commission, Vice Chair of the Rules and Administration Committee, and serves on the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee.

Special Elections for Districts 29 and 47

The Minnesota Senate was controlled by Democrats by a one vote margin, 34-33, in the 2025 Legislative Session. There are two special elections that will take place on Nov. 4, 2025, to fill the currently vacant seats.

  • SD 47 – In August, Democratic Sen. Nicole Mitchell was convicted of first-degree felony burglary, after which she resigned her seat.  As a result, the Senate became tied, 33-33. Current MN House Rep. Hemmingsen-Jaeger won the Democratic endorsement and is the favored candidate to secure the DFL one-seat majority entering into 2026 legislative session.  Republican Dwight Dorau is running for the second time for the seat after having lost to Mitchell in the 2024 Election.

 

  • SD 29 – Republican Sen. Bruce Anderson passed away unexpectedly in July of this year, resulting in the Senate to be back to a temporary one-seat Democratic majority, 33-32. The district is west of Minneapolis and mostly rural and safely Republican district, Michael Holmstrom secured the GOP endorsement and will face off against Democratic candidate Louis McNutt. The Republicans will win this seat, and it is expected Democrats will continue to control the Senate 34-33 going into the 2026 legislative session.

Special Session

In the wake of the multiple shootings this summer, Gov. Walz announced he would call a special session to pass gun control measures, including a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. There has yet to be a date set, and the latest update continues to be discussions between legislative leaders and the governor on potential solutions. The governor can call a special session, but the legislature decides when it would adjourn.

 

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