Latest news with #DFL
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Tim Walz calls special elections for 2 vacant Senate seats
Gov. Tim Walz has called special elections in two Senate districts left vacant this month after the burglary conviction of Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, and the death of Sen. Bruce Anderson, R-Buffalo. Elections to fill the vacancies will take place on Nov. 4, the governor's office announced on Tuesday. If necessary, special primary elections will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 26. Mitchell, a Democratic-Farmer-Labor senator, represented District 47, a Washington County seat that includes the suburbs of Woodbury and parts of Maplewood. She resigned last Friday, a week after a Becker County jury found her guilty of two felony charges for breaking into her estranged stepmother's Detroit Lakes home. Anderson was a longtime Republican lawmaker who represented Senate District 29. The district is northwest of Minneapolis and includes parts of Wright, Meeker, and Hennepin counties, as well as the cities of Buffalo and Monticello. He died unexpectedly on July 21 at the age of 75. With special elections now scheduled in both districts, Minnesota is on track to tie its record for most special elections in a year. The last time there were six special elections was 1994. Criminal cases, unexpected deaths and a residency dispute have driven up the number of non-election-year contests and have affected political dynamics in a Legislature narrowly divided between the parties. DFLers currently hold 33 seats in the Senate to Republicans' 32. The DFL only needs to hold on to Mitchell's former seat if it wants to maintain the Senate majority. Republicans would have to win both special elections to gain the majority. Anderson represented a rural district widely seen as a Republican stronghold. The DFL has dominated elections in the Woodbury area in recent years, though Mitchell's criminal case could draw greater Republican investment in the race. Candidates can begin filing paperwork to run in District 29 and District 47 this Wednesday. They have until 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, to submit affidavits of candidacy to county officials or the Minnesota Secretary of State. Related Articles Minnesota's new consumer data tracking protections start July 31 State Patrol planning third-party review for Capitol security assessment Divided government means high stakes for Woodbury special election Man with mental health issues found naked in Minnesota Capitol, raising new security concerns Minnesota lawmakers can draw additional state funds for security costs Solve the daily Crossword
The Hill
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Far-left mayoral candidates will make it harder for Democrats to ‘win back voters': Karl Rove
Republican strategist Karl Rove said Tuesday that far-left mayoral candidates will make it harder for Democrats to gain ground. 'The more that we get people like this representing the face of the Democratic Party, the harder it is to win back voters in the middle of American politics,' Rove said on Fox News's 'America's Newsroom' in a clip highlighted by Mediaite, speaking about Minnesota state Sen. Omar Fateh (D). Fateh, a self-described democratic socialist, recently earned the Minneapolis DFL's endorsement for the city's mayoral race. His clinching of the endorsement comes alongside another progressive candidate and democratic socialist, Zohran Mamdani, winning last month's Democratic Party primary for New York City mayor. 'I am incredibly honored to be the DFL endorsed candidate for Minneapolis Mayor. This endorsement is a message that Minneapolis residents are done with broken promises, vetoes, and politics as usual. It's a mandate to build a city that works for all of us,' Fateh said in a post on the social platform X on July 19. Fateh's and Mamdani's success comes as there are heated debates within the Democratic Party about how to move forward in the wake of the 2024 elections, when Democrats lost their chances at power in the House, Senate and White House. 'The more left-wing the center of these big cities become, the more difficult it is for Democrats to win votes that, you know, they're going to be driving away votes, not only in rural America, suburban America, but they're also going to be driving away votes in urban America,' Rove said Tuesday. Rep. Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.) distanced herself from Mamdani last month, saying he was 'the wrong choice for New York.' 'Socialist Zohran Mamdani is too extreme to lead New York City,' Gillen said in a statement. 'His entire campaign has been built on unachievable promises and higher taxes, which is the last thing New York needs.'
CBS News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Minnesota Sen. Nicole Mitchell resigns following conviction in burglary trial
Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell has resigned from office one week after she was found guilty on both charges in her burglary trial. Mitchell announced her resignation in a Facebook post on Friday afternoon. "I am stepping down from my MN Senate seat today, but I cannot do that without expressing my gratitude," Mitchell said. "Thank you to my family, friends, and constituents who shared with me the issues they care about and trusted me to work on their behalf. It has been a true honor to serve the state of Minnesota and the community I grew up in." Mitchell was convicted on July 18 of felony first-degree burglary and possession of burglary or theft tools for breaking into her stepmother's Detroit Lakes home in April 2024. The jurors deliberated for just over three hours following four days of testimony. Her defense attorneys said on Monday that she needed to "wrap up outstanding legislative projects ... complete ongoing constituent services ... transition legislative staff ... [and] obtain health insurance for her son" before her resignation. The now-former Democratic state senator represented parts of Woodbury and Maplewood. Gov. Tim Walz's office is expected to announce details about a special election after Mitchell's resignation. There is another special election set for September to fill a vacancy left by former DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman's politically-motivated assassination. Note: The above video first aired on July 18, 2025.
Sky News AU
5 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Rise of Fateh and Mamdani a ‘wake-up call' to ‘get a handle' on socialist surge
The Federalist elections correspondent Brianna Lyman has weighed in on Omar Fateh being endorsed for Minneapolis Mayor by the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). He has been likened to New York Democratic Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani. 'I think this should be a wake-up call,' Ms Lyman told Sky News host James Morrow. 'We better get a handle on it now before it's too late.'
CBS News
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Minnesota Legislature to pay for enhanced home security for members in wake of lawmaker shooting attacks
Both chambers of the Minnesota Legislature will now cover the costs for enhanced home security for members in wake of the politically motivated shooting attacks on lawmakers and their spouses last month. The secretary of the Senate confirmed to WCCO that the funds will come from the Minnesota Senate's existing state budget appropriation and any member who requests that support will get the assistance. The state House will have a similar policy, a source said, to pick up the tab for roughly $4,500 towards the cost of installing additional security measures. Authorities say a masked gunman assassinated DFL Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark and attempted to kill DFL Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette in a politically-motivated attack in the middle of the night. He also had an alleged hit list targeting other Democratic state and federal elected officials. The change in both chambers would be in addition to the up to $3,000 elected officials can draw from their state campaign account to pay for security, including for arming homes and services like identity theft protection and credit monitoring. In 2021, lawmakers authorized that expense. Sen. Aric Putnam, DFL-St. Cloud, used some of those funds to cover installing a security system at his house a few years ago after receiving threatening messages online and by phone. He said the Legislature tapping into its budget for additional resources to help lawmakers is a good idea. "We always had these concerns, but now our attention is drawn to them a little more and I think it's an opportunity for us to kind of use that attention to make people more safe," he told WCCO in an interview. Sen. Julia Coleman, R-Waconia, said she installed a security system right after the June 14 attacks and the $3,000 she could use from her campaign account was just shy of the total cost of boosting safety at her home. "I'm grateful that we have that opportunity and that resource available because it's a steep price to get the equipment installed, but it's not quite the amount for what I consider a pretty basic system and basic monitoring," she explained. The new policy in the Legislature will expand the amount of funds available to lawmakers who choose to take similar steps. Coleman said "it's about damn time" for the change. The move in Minnesota comes as the U.S. House leadership in Washington this week announced a pilot program significantly increasing the amount of money members of Congress can use towards personal and home security for the next few months. Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said he would evaluate "all the data points, see how effective it was, how it was utilized, and then make decisions going forward" once the beefed-up security funding ends at the end of this fiscal year on Sept. 30. "We live in an enhanced threat environment," Johnson told CBS News. There have been discussions for years about security in the Minnesota Capitol Building, which right now does not require visitors to pass through a metal detector before entering. The tragedy adds a new level of urgency. Some current and former lawmakers believe that should change; while others, like Putnam, think keeping the state's seat of government accessible to Minnesotans is important. Also in the immediate wake of the shootings, the names of cities and towns where lawmakers live were removed from the state legislative website. Next month, the special advisory panel tasked with oversight of Capitol security will meet for the first time since the attacks.
