Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) candidate David Gottfried is projected to win a special election for a seat in the Minnesota House, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Gottfried, a pro bono specialist at a law firm, defeated Republican candidate Paul Wikstrom, an engineer manager and instructor pilot for Minnesota 40B seat, which includes portions of Shoreview and Roseville.
Gottfried was expected to win the seat, which has voted overwhelmingly Democrat in past election cycles. The Minnesota DFL candidate’s win now brings the state House back to a 67-67 tie.
The state House special election was prompted after DFL candidate Curtis Johnson won the seat in November but was later found to not have met the district residency requirements.
Johnson’s initial win put the state House at an even 67-67 tie, but after the judge ruled he hadn’t met the district residency requirements, it brought the lower chamber to a temporary 67-66 GOP edge.
The state House saw a tumultuous start to the session, with DFL members refusing to head to work at the state Capitol as the two parties couldn’t come to an agreement over how to proceed given the GOP’s temporary edge in the state House that would later be brought back to a tie in March.
Republicans sought to elect a Speaker and conduct business without the DFL members, arguing 67 members constituted a quorum — an interpretation of the state Constitution that was later struck down by the Minnesota Supreme Court. The two parties ultimately came to a power-sharing agreement last month that included electing Republican Lisa DeMuth Speaker.
