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MN GOP details petition to halt 40B special election [RAW]
The Minnesota GOP shares details on the petition they filed with the Minnesota Supreme Court to halt the special election in Minnesota House District 40B.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota GOP detailed their new petition to the Minnesota Supreme Court to halt the special election to fill the District 40B seat, as it was left vacant after a residency challenge was successful.
Effort to halt special election MN House District 40B
What to expect: Minnesota Republicans, along with the Minnesota Voters Alliance, have filed a petition with the Minnesota Supreme Court to halt the special election set for District 40B, calling it "unlawful".
The GOP says the petition calls for the Minnesota Supreme Court to require Gov. Tim Walz, Secretary of State Steve Simon and Ramsey County Election officials to "comply" with election laws, specifically the timing requirements for special elections.
READ MORE: MN election: House District 40B race headed to special election
Why you should care: The initial race had Democrat Curtis Johnson winning District 40B against his Republican opponent, Paul Wikstrom. After a judge granted Wikstrom's election contest, it broke the 67-67 tie in the Minnesota House, giving House Republicans a 67-66 majority until Jan. 28.
The other side: DFL Speaker-designate, Melissa Hortman, is calling on GOP Speaker-designate, Lisa Demuth, to honor their power-sharing agreement. Hortman claims Republicans plan on using their one-seat advantage to "permanently disadvantage" Democrats.
A majority of 68 members is required to conduct business in the Minnesota House.
What they're saying: "Minnesotans voted for equal numbers of Democratic and Republican state representatives. Honoring the will of the voters means governing together under shared power," said Hortman. "Minnesotans want Republicans to honor the will of the voters. We would like to get to work on a bipartisan basis to tackle the challenges Minnesotans elected us to address. We have no interest in spending January locked in partisan warfare with House Republicans, but we do not intend to allow them to pretend that 67 votes is a majority and engage in an illegitimate power grab. Democrats are prepared to use all parliamentary tactics available to us in the absence of a power-sharing agreement on the first day of session."
"The attempt by Governor Walz to call a special election for a vacancy that has not yet occurred, but instead is the result of a successful election contest filed by candidate Wikstrom, is a flagrant violation of Minnesota election law," Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Alex Plechash said. "Issuing a writ that blatantly violates state law is a clear attempt to undermine our elections and harm our democracy. The Democrats supported a candidate they knew to be ineligible for the seat, and now they seek to cover up their past wrongful actions by calling an unlawful and hastily scheduled special election."
What happened?
Background: This petition comes after Wikstrom argued to the court that Johnson's primary residence isn't in the district. According to state statute, that is a violation of election residency requirements. The Minnesota law says that at the time of the general election, a candidate must have lived in the state for one year and lived in the district for six months.
The lawsuit said that in March, Johnson signed an apartment lease at Rosedale Estates in Roseville, then registered in May to be in the state primary. While campaigning, Wikstrom encountered a former Roseville city council member who made him aware that his opponent had recently leased a studio apartment in the district.
In August, Wikstrom’s campaign team then started monitoring when Johnson was coming and going from his Little Canada home to his Roseville apartment.
The lawsuit said Johnson’s vehicles were in Little Canada in the morning and evening, and he did not appear to be at the Roseville apartment at all. Entered in as evidence are detailed time logs, videos, and more to prove to the judge that Johnson does not live in the apartment.
READ MORE: Minnesota House 40B residency challenge successful: What it means