Overview

• Sen. Nicole Mitchell will resign by August 5 after a jury convicted her on felony burglary charges, and Sen. Bruce Anderson’s death has left two open seats in the Minnesota Senate.
• The DFL majority has shrunk to 33–32 in a chamber where 34 votes are needed to pass most legislation.
• Gov. Tim Walz plans to schedule the special elections before February with the goal of having every Senate seat filled for the next session.
• Republicans view these low-turnout contests as a chance to flip the suburban Woodbury seat and capture the Senate majority if they win both races.
• Minnesota is holding seven legislative special elections in under 12 months, the most in state history.