Power-sharing Agreement Reached in House, DFL’s Capitol Boycott Ends

February 6, 2025

House DFL members will return to the State Capitol for the first time this session after leaders on both sides of the aisle reached a power-sharing agreement on February 5.  

Under the agreement, Rep. Lisa Demuth (R – Cold Spring) will become Speaker of the House, and will serve in that position through 2026. House committees will be chaired by Republicans while they retain a 67-66 majority. Once a special election takes place to fill the House District 40B seat, which will likely bring the house to a 67-67 tie again, House leaders will then co-chair committees. Gov. Tim Walz has called the special election for March 11. 

The agreement ensures Rep. Brad Tabke (DFL – Shakopee) will be seated. Republicans threatened not to seat Tabke after it was reported that election officials lost 20 ballots in an election in which Tabke won by 14 votes. A judge ruled Tabke the winner; his opponent did not seek to appeal the decision. Per the agreement, the House Ethics Committee will hold a hearing about the election, but no further action will be taken. 

Lastly, the agreement includes the creation of a new Fraud and Agency Oversight Committee, which Republicans will chair and have a 5-3 voting margin. 

The agreement will end the DFL boycott of the legislative session, which began on January 14. 

In the other chamber, Sen. Doron Clark (DFL – Minneapolis) was sworn into the Senate on February 3. His addition to the Senate officially gives the DFL a single vote 34-33 majority. Clark was elected in a special election in late January to fill the seat left vacant by the death of former DFL leader Kari Dziedzic in December. With their new majority, the DFL senators voted to end the power-sharing agreement that guided the first few weeks of the session.