WCCO's Laura Oakes goes Behind the Ballot and takes a look at the trickle-down effect in state government should Minnesota Governor Tim Walz become Vice President of the United States.
Minnesota's constitution is pretty clear on the matter. Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan would fill the remainder of Walz's term.
"The state constitution is pretty clear that the lieutenant governor would become the governor of the state during the vacancy, so presumably until the end of the term," says University of St. Thomas assistant political science professor Tim Lynch. "So we would see Lieutenant Governor Flanagan become the Governor of the state."
And that means Senate President Bobby Jo Champion (DFL- Minneapolis) would be elevated to lieutenant governor. Lynch says having the nation's first Native American governor, as well as a Black Lieutenant Governor, would certainly be notable.
"The importance of representation, the importance of having a diverse group of leaders that are reflective of the communities that they represent is something that people will certainly be paying attention to," he explains.
Lynch says it's also a year to watch the Minnesota Senate.
"Even though we don't think about the Senate as like having elections this year, there is a possibility that partisanship of the chamber could change hands," Lynch says. "And then kind of on top of that, the legal issues with Senator Mitchell, who has been called upon by many members of the DFL to resign her position. That could further complicate things."
While the Senate is not up for re-election, Lynch says it will be interesting to see what happens with Democratic Senator Kelly Morrison's seat as she runs for United States Congress in Minnesota's 3rd District, and whether or not State Senator Nicole Mitchell (DFL- Woodbury) will end up heeding those calls to resign.
Mitchell is under pressure to step down after being charged with burglary for entering her stepmother's home in April, trying to allegedly retrieve her deceased father's belongings and his ashes.
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