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Politics and Government News
Dana Ferguson
Shakopee, Minn.

14-vote lead for DFL state House candidate up for review in Scott County recount

side by side of two men
Minnesota House of Representatives District 54A candidates running in the general election include incumbent Rep. Brad Tabke, Democrat, and Aaron Paul, Republican.
U.S. Congress | Campaign photo

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Election officials in Scott County will begin a recount on Thursday in a narrowly-divided legislative contest that could determine power in the Minnesota House. State Rep. Brad Tabke, DFL-Shakopee, currently leads Republican challenger Aaron Paul by 14 votes.

Republicans would win the House Majority if the vote tally flips in the House District 54A race or in another legislative contest in Sherburne County . If Democrats win both races, Republicans and Democrats will each control 67 seats and be forced to share control of the legislative body. 

Paul, a candidate in the Shakopee area, and Sue Ek, a Republican running in a district near St. Cloud, have sought hand recounts to verify that ballots were counted accurately. Scott County election officials are scheduled to start the publicly-funded recount on Thursday starting at 8:30 a.m. Sherburne County will hold its recount between Ek and Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, on Monday.

While the recounts could change partisan control, legislative leaders are preparing for a tie. They said this week that they would evenly split control of House committees and each panel would be chaired by one Republican and one Democrat. Leaders Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, and Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, were still in talks to determine who would become Speaker of the House

The Minnesota Constitution says only one person can hold the role of House speaker at a time. Hortman and Demuth said they’re confident that they can work out a power-sharing agreement.

Both legislative leaders said they’ll focus on the “basics” since a divided government could limit what they’re able to pass in 2025. Democrats hold a one-seat advantage in the Senate and control of the governor’s office.

Minnesota lawmakers are required to pass a two-year state budget before July to avoid a state government shutdown. They may also consider a public construction project bill.

Gov. Tim Walz said he’s optimistic lawmakers will be able to cooperate because they did it during his first term as governor.

“I think we’ve proven that we can do it before,” Walz told reporters. “I think if we can get back to the model that we were able to do in 2019, we got quite a bit done.”

The Minnesota State Canvassing Board is also set to meet Thursday to review and certify results of the 2024 election. The five-person panel will convene on the Capitol complex and review results of the statewide canvass report before approving them.