2024 ELECTION RESULTS - MINNESOTA

2024 Election Voter Turnout in Minnesota: Historically, Minnesota has led the nation in voter turnout, and that appears to be the case this time too.  According to the MN Secretary of State’s website: Out of 3.7 million registered voters, an estimated 3.25 million Minnesotans voted, for an estimated turnout of 75.87%.

We also know Minnesotans voted early by mail and in-person in large numbers. As of Election Day, Tues., Nov. 5th, just under 1.3 million early voting mail-in and in-person ballots had been accepted (just over 1.4 million absentee and mail ballots had been distributed since early voting in Minnesota began Sept. 20th).

NATIONAL RESULTS:  The Trump/Vance ticket defeated the Harris/Walz ticket.  Trump/Vance won all seven "battleground" states, the electoral vote, and the popular vote. Governor Tim Walz returns to Minnesota as governor for the remainder of his term – he and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan were re-elected to a second term in 2022. There are no term limits for governors in Minnesota, so Walz is eligible to run again in 2026.  He has not indicated whether or not he will.  Note: President Trump will be the second president in U.S. history to serve two non-consecutive terms as president. The first was President Grover Cleveland (22nd and 24th president).

Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar won re-election to a fourth term by a wide margin.

Minnesota’s Incumbent Congressional Members, Reps. Brad Finstad (CD-1), Angie Craig (CD-2), Ilhan Omar (CD-5), Tom Emmer (CD-6), Michelle Fischbach (CD-7), and Pete Stauber (CD-8) all won re-election. Former state senator Kelly Morrison won election to CD 3.

MINNESOTA RESULTS:

Senate District 45 Special Election: Former State Senator Ann Johnson Stewart (DFL) won the special election against Kathleen Fawke. This brings the senate majority back to the Senate DFL with 34 seats to the Senate GOP with 33 seats. Because she won a special election, Sen.-elect Johnson Stewart can be sworn in before the first day of the 2025 Legislative Session.

Minnesota House - Key Race Results:  Going into this election, the House DFL had 70 seats and the House GOP had 64 seats. A net-gain of 3 seats for the House GOP would mean a tie and a net-gain of 4 seats or more would mean the House GOP would take the majority. There are currently two House races going to recounts: HD14B and HD54A, with the DFL incumbents currently with narrow leads.

So... The unofficial election results have the Minnesota House tied at 67 DFL and 67 GOP. The last time the House was tied was the 1979 Legislature – a peanut farmer was in the White House and the number one movie (Jan. 1979) was the re-release of Disney’s "101 Dalmatians".  Here’s an article from House Session Daily on the last time the House was tied (hint: It was a mess!).

DFL leader Melissa Hortman has been meeting with GOP leader Lisa Demuth to negotiate divided powers in the Minnesota House. At this point, Demuth is set to become the new House Speaker.

Recounts:  Two House races are headed for recounts. An automatic recount for a legislative office occurs if the difference in the number of votes cast for the apparent winning candidate and any other candidate is less than one-half of one percent. It may also occur if the difference in votes is less than ten votes.

• HD 14B – Rep. Dan Wolgamott (DFL-St. Cloud) / Sue Ek (GOP) – Rep. Wolgamott is currently ahead by 28 votes.
• HD 54A – Rep. Brad Tabke (DFL-Shakopee) / Aaron Paul (GOP) – Rep. Tabke is currently ahead by 14 votes.

Implications for Next Session:

With the potential for divided government, working in a bipartisan manner will be even more important in 2025. This means having bipartisan co-authors on bills will be essential to the bill advancing through the legislative process. Successful bills will likely need to be heard in both the House and Senate, and will need to meet committee deadlines. The DFL and the GOP will have to work together, and we will have to work with them. Your CMBA Government Affairs team will work closely with our colleagues at Housing First Minnesota to keep housing and regulatory issues front-and-center, and to build better understanding and support among state legislators.

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