MINNEAPOLIS — If you've been anywhere near Lake Minnetonka lately, you've seen the ubiquitous yard signs for the two women vying for a newly vacated seat in the Minnesota Senate.
But the stakes are higher than just a trip to the State Capitol for Democrat Ann Johnson Stewart and Republican Kathleen Fowke. The outcome of special election in Senate District 45 will decide control of the Minnesota Legislature's upper body.
The other 66 districts won't be in play until 2026, because senators currently serving were elected to four-year terms back in 2022. But DFL Sen. Kelly Morrison resigned her seat to run for Congress, prompting a special election to replace Morrison in SD45 the same day as November 5 General Election.
Morrison's departure left the chamber deadlocked at 33 Democrats and 33 Republicans, which is academic at this point because the Legislature won't be back in session until January.
But when lawmakers do come back for the 2025 Session one party will have a one-seat advantage. Democrats have enjoyed a "trifecta" the past two sessions, with control of both the House and Senate and the governor's office.
The Candidates
Fowke is a realtor who ran unsuccessfully for the same seat in 2022. She said she's aiming to restore balance and moderation to the Senate.
"Inflation is high already, and in the past two sessions they've raised taxes on hard-working Minnesotans," Fowke told KARE Tuesday. "And this is not the time to be raising taxes on our families. I love this state, and I believe you need to fight for what you love."
Fowke said if she's elected, she'll work on reducing state government mandates on local school boards and businesses. She also wants the legislature to focus on lowering local property taxes.
"We need to find ways to make sure the families can afford their life here, and hopefully their grandparents stay here too, and they don’t move to another state."
Johnson Stewart is a civil engineer who served a two-year term in 2021-2022 Legislature. As a result of redistricting in 2022, she ended up in the same district as Morrison, who won the DFL endorsement in SD45.
"Having served in the Senate, I realized how to be effective. And I worked with some other colleagues to form the Infrastructure Alliance," Johnson Stewart told KARE Monday.
She said her experience as an environmental engineer gives her special insight into how to solve the water supply and wastewater treatment issues in District 45, which wraps around Lake Minnetonka.
"I think it’s really important that somebody who understands water systems be their representative, and I just think it’s a really good fit for me and my skills."
Bills to guarantee reproductive rights for women passed the legislature in 2023 and 2024 without attracting a single Republican vote. That's why abortion rights advocates are watching the race in District 45 closely.
"I want to make sure that women know I trust them to make these decisions," Johnson Stewart told KARE.
"And they can trust me to make sure their rights are protected, not just around abortion, but around birth control and fertility treatments and personal health care."
Fowke told KARE she wouldn't vote for an abortion ban or restrictions if such a bill comes up for consideration in the Minnesota Senate.
"What I want to do is find ways to help support women, and then perhaps they would choose to keep their child."
Scenarios for balance of power
If Vice President Harris wins the presidential election, Gov. Walz will resign his post and move to Washington to become the new vice president. That will trigger an order of succession wherein Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan becomes governor and Senate President Bobby Joe Champion becomes the new lieutenant governor.
If that series of events unfolds the Senate will be reduced to 66 members again until a special election can be held in Sen. Champion's north Minneapolis district. It's a reliably DFL district, but laws pertaining to absentee ballots require at least 45 days' advance notice of the special primary election plus 45 days' notice of the main special election.
The other big unknown is what will happen to DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell of Woodbury. She will be tried in January on felony burglary charges for allegedly breaking into her stepmother's home to retrieve some of her deceased father's belongings.