Three upcoming special elections will determine balance of power in MN House and Senate
SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Three special elections in the coming months will determine the balance of power in both the Minnesota House and Senate for the 2026 legislative session, following the deaths of two beloved members and the pending resignation of another.
After the assassination of House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, Gov. Tim Walz scheduled a special election for September to fill the vacancy in her Brooklyn Park district. That race will determine whether the House remains a 67-67 tie, or if Republicans take a true majority in the chamber, although the district is considered safely Democratic and unlikely to change hands. Hortman had won her previous four elections by at least 20 percentage points.
Meanwhile, in the Senate, the DFL held a narrow 34-33 majority in the 2025 legislative session, but there are two special elections on the horizon to decide party control. In one of those races, voters will cast ballots to fill the seat of Republican Sen. Bruce Anderson of Buffalo, who died unexpectedly on Monday at the age of 75, while the other special election will be held to replace DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell of Woodbury. After her felony conviction in a burglary case, Mitchell has promised to resign by Aug. 4.
Gov. Walz has not scheduled either of the Senate special elections yet. While Anderson and Mitchell both won their districts by double digits in the last elections, the Mitchell seat in Woodbury carries some intrigue because of the circumstances around her legal issues. After her arrest in April 2024, Mitchell refused to resign before her case was resolved, and Senate DFL colleagues resisted voting to expel Mitchell until due process had played out.
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