New leadership is lining up in both the Minnesota House and Senate after a dominant midterm election night for the DFL party, who took control of both bodies after they were nearly evenly split the last two years.
New Minnesota House Speaker-Designate Zack Stephenson (DFL-Anoka/Coon Rapids) outlined some of the caucus priorities as the DFL takes control of the House next session, which begins in January. They also control the Senate and governor's office, setting up another trifecta in state government.
Stephenson says while some past sessions focused heavily on issues impacting the Twin Cities metro, they'll be equally mindful of Greater Minnesota.
"Some of the issues we're talking about here are particularly impactful in Greater Minnesota," he says. "You know, we talk about housing and I think people maybe think that that's a metro issue, but there are housing crisis' all over the state of Minnesota. And I think it's holding back our economy, in particular in Greater Minnesota."
Stephenson says the House will also continue it's work to combat fraud, and that they support Governor-elect Amy Klobuchar's (DFL) plan to conduct a top-to-bottom audit of state government, adding that the House passed a strong anti-fraud agenda in 2026 and will build on it in the next session.
"We are very much behind Governor-elect Klobuchar's plans to conduct a top-to-bottom audit of state government," Stephenson says. "We are very interested in conducting meaningful oversight of state agencies to make sure that we safeguard these programs, and we will absolutely pass legislation to combat fraud further and have additional accountability."
In addition to Stephenson's election as House Speaker, DFL Representative Jamie Long (Minneapolis) was elected House Majority Leader.
There was also leadership set in the Minnesota Senate.
On Thursday, the DFL Caucus reelected Senator Erin Murphy (DFL- St. Paul) as Senate Majority Leader. Murphy will lead a caucus that expanded its majority this week to at least 39 members, with two other races still to be decided in automatic recounts.
"Some of the issues that I think we need to solve, for the cost of health care, child care, housing, are not going to happen in the blink of an eye," Murphy says. "We know that we have deliberative work that we need to do and I think it's important for us to recognize that we need to deliberate. We need to be methodical and disciplined to bring solutions that actually work."
Senate Republicans meanwhile chose Senator Jordan Rasmusson (Fergus Falls) as Minority Leader, and Senator Bobby Jo Champion (DFL-Minneapolis) will once again serve as President of the Senate.
Murphy says they are looking forward to working with Governor-elect Klobuchar.
"I think that Senator Klobuchar, now Governor-elect Klobuchar, is very, very well versed in policy and budget," Murphy explains. "She's going to be sharp, and we're going to be sharp in return. Many of us have worked with her over many, many years, and she's got a very open door and wants very much to work with legislators, all of us."
The work in the next session includes a new two-year budget, with some balancing needing to take place.
According to reports from Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB), the state's baseline financial forecast heading toward the 2027 legislative budget session shows a near-term surplus but a long-term structural imbalance. That means state spending is currently projected to grow at a faster rate than incoming revenues through 2029.
A new forecast is expected to be released later this month.
The Democrats in Minnesota once again have a trifecta of power in the House, Senate and governor's office
The Democrats in Minnesota once again have a trifecta of power in the House, Senate and governor's office
