2018 Minnesota Senate District 54 special election

A special election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on February 12, 2018, to elect a new senator for District 54 in the Minnesota Senate, caused by the resignation of Dan Schoen effective on December 15, 2017. A primary election was held on January 29, 2018, to nominate a Republican candidate. It coincided with the Minnesota House of Representatives District 23B special election. The Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) nominee, Karla Bigham, won the special election.

District 54 special election, 2018
February 12, 2018 (2018-02-12)
Minnesota Senate District 54
 
Nominee Karla Bigham Denny McNamara
Party Democratic (DFL) Republican
Popular vote 7,343 6,813
Percentage 50.73% 47.06%
Results by precinct
Senator before election

Dan Schoen
Democratic (DFL)

 Elected Senator

Karla Bigham
Democratic (DFL)

Background
Location of District 54 in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area.

In November 2017, several women accused Senator Dan Schoen of sexually harassing them.[1][2] On November 22, 2017, Schoen announced he would resign on December 15, 2017.[3]

The special election garnered much attention given that the Republicans controlled the Senate only by a single seat as well as a legal question of whether a Republican senator should remain in the Senate. Senator Michelle Fischbach was the subject of a lawsuit challenging her ability to remain in the Senate after she became lieutenant governor in early January 2018 when DFL Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith resigned to be appointed to the U.S. Senate.[4] As president of the Senate, Fischbach was first in line to succeed her. The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice by the chief judge of the Minnesota Second District Court in Ramsey County on the day of the special election, but another lawsuit was likely.[5] The DFL needed to retain the seat for there to be a potential that the DFL could win control of the Senate if a special election were to occur if Fischbach were removed from the Senate as a result of a lawsuit.[6]

District 54 represents parts of the counties of Dakota and Washington. Schoen had represented the district in the Senate since January 2017, replacing retiring DFL incumbent Katie Sieben—who represented the area in the Senate since 2007 and previously in the House from 2003. Schoen previously represented District 54A, the western half of the district, in the House from 2013. In the last election in 2016, Schoen won with 53 percent of the vote compared to his Republican opponent's 47 percent.

Candidates

Candidate filings were open from January 8 through January 11. As multiple Republican candidates filed for office, a primary election was held on January 29, 2018, to determine which candidate received the party's nomination.[7]

Republican Party of Minnesota

The Senate District 54 Republicans held a convention to endorse a candidate on December 12, 2017. Former state Representative Denny McNamara won the endorsement. 2016 District 54 Republican nominee Leilani Holmstadt and Bob Anderson also sought the endorsement and said they would abide by it.[8] James Brunsgaard, who did not seek the endorsement, was also a candidate. In explaining his decision to seek the Republican nomination, Brunsgaard said he did not like McNamara because he's a "self-serving politician."[6]

Withdrawn
  • Bob Anderson[8]
  • Leilani Holmstadt, 2016 District 54 Republican nominee[8]

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

The Senate District 54 DFL endorsed former state Representative Karla Bigham on November 30, 2017.[10]

Libertarian Party of Minnesota

Primary election

Results
Republican primary election results by precinct.

Denny McNamara won the Republican nomination over James Brunsgaard in the primary election. McNamara said he appreciated Brunsgaard's willingness to put himself forward for public office. Brunsgaard said he would support Libertarian candidate Emily Mellingen.[12]

Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Party of Minnesota Denny McNamara 1,328 84.91
James Brunsgaard 236 15.09
Subtotal 1,564 100.00
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party Karla Bigham 449 100.00
Total 2,013 100.00
Invalid/blank votes 18 0.89
Turnout (out of 48,152 registered voters)[13] 2,031 4.22
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State[14]

Results

DFL nominee Karla Bigham won over Republican nominee Denny McNamara. The result returned the Senate to the status quo before the vacancy of 34 Republican and 33 DFL senators, creating a potential future shift of control of the Senate in a special election if Republican Senator Michelle Fischbach were removed from her seat as a result of a lawsuit challenging her ability to remain in the Senate.[15]

Party Candidate Votes % ∆pp
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party Karla Bigham 7,343 50.73 Decrease2.40
Republican Party of Minnesota Denny McNamara 6,813 47.06 Increase0.36
Libertarian Party of Minnesota Emily Mellingen 313 2.16 Increase2.16
Write-in N/A 7 0.05 Decrease0.11
Total 14,476 100.00 ±0.00
Invalid/blank votes 2 0.01 Positive decrease5.37
Turnout (out of 48,456 registered voters)[16] 14,478 29.88 Decrease52.60
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State[17]

See also

References
  1. Bierschbach, Briana (November 8, 2017). "Multiple women accuse Minnesota state Senator Dan Schoen of sexual harassment". MinnPost. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  2. Bakst, Brian (November 14, 2017). "MN Capitol staffer: Sen. Schoen sent me a sexually explicit image". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  3. Xiong, Chao; Coolican, J. Patrick (November 23, 2017). "Despite resignation, Sen. Dan Schoen's lawyer says DFLer 'never meant to sexually harass anybody'". Star Tribune. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  4. Van Berkel, Jessie (January 12, 2018). "Constituent sues Lt. Gov. Michelle Fischbach, says she must give up Senate seat". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  5. Van Berkel, Jessie (February 12, 2018). "Ramsey County judge dismisses lawsuit against Fischbach over Senate seat, but fight likely not over". Star Tribune. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  6. Pugmire, Tim (January 26, 2018). "Minnesota Senate power struggle raises stakes in special election". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  7. Magan, Christopher (January 11, 2018). "Four file for special election to replace ex-Sen. Dan Schoen after sexual misconduct allegations". Pioneer Press. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  8. Nelson, Katie (December 13, 2017). "McNamara secures GOP endorsement for Minnesota Senate special election". South Washington County Bulletin. Forum Communications. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  9. Wente, Scott (November 27, 2017). "McNamara jumps into Senate race; Bigham also running". South Washington County Bulletin. Forum Communications. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  10. Wente, Scott (December 5, 2017). "Holmstadt, McNamara eye Senate seat as Franke opts against run; Schoen submits resignation letter". South Washington County Bulletin. Forum Communications. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  11. Wente, Scott (November 22, 2017). "The race to replace Schoen: Bigham is in, McNamara 'strongly leaning toward' a run". South Washington County Bulletin. Forum Communications. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  12. Nelson, Katie (January 29, 2018). "McNamara clinches Republican spot". South Washington County Bulletin. Forum Communications. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  13. "State of Minnesota Canvassing Report" (PDF). Minnesota Secretary of State. January 31, 2018. p. 3. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  14. "Results for State Senator District 54". Minnesota Secretary of State. January 29, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  15. Van Berkel, Jessie (February 13, 2018). "Outside cash fails to flip seats in two offseason Minnesota races". Star Tribune. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  16. "State of Minnesota Canvassing Report" (PDF). Minnesota Secretary of State. February 14, 2018. p. 3. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  17. "Results for State Senator District 54". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
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