ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Ahead of the start of the legislative session on Tuesday, Minnesota House DFL members held their own early oath of office ceremony on Sunday amid a power struggle.
DFL holds early ceremony
What we know:
House DFL members held an early oath of office ceremony on Sunday at the Minnesota History Center, just steps away from the capitol building on John Ireland Boulevard.
The early ceremony comes two days before the legislature is set to convene. DFL members have promised not to show up on day one, as both Democrats and Republicans are fighting over majority leadership.
The backstory:
After Election Day, the Minnesota House's party balance was projected at an even split between Democrats and Republicans, 67-67. However, a successful residency challenge in District 40B (Roseville and Shoreview) took away one DFL member for the time being. Republicans also challenged the results in Shakopee, where a tight race was thrown into question after 20 ballots turned up missing. However, after a trial in December over the result, Democrats claimed victory in the race.
The Democrats have threatened to not up as the legislative session begins if the Republicans don't agree to a power-sharing agreement, as the DFL works to fill the District 40B seat. Without DFL members, the GOP wouldn't have a quorum – the number of lawmakers needed to conduct business.
If the Democrats don't show up, the Republicans have in turn threatened to weigh their options to respond, including recalling members.
What they're saying:
In a statement on Sunday, GOP members said the ceremony was illegitimate, saying it violates Minnesota law.
"State law is clear: swearing in happens at noon on the day the legislature convenes; any attempt to subvert that is illegitimate," wrote Rep. Lisa Demuth, the Republican speaker-designate. "This move is a slap in the face to the institution and to every voter who expects their elected officials to act in good faith and uphold the integrity of the legislative process. Minnesotans sent us here to govern, not to play political games. I am calling on the Governor to call out this outrageous stunt and tell his party to do their jobs by showing up on Tuesday."
A Minnesota statute does indeed call for legislature members to be sworn in on the day the legislature convenes inside their respective chambers. However, the DFL says an early oath of office, at a location outside the state capitol, is not unprecedented. The DFL also argues that while the statute sets guidelines, it doesn't require the oath of office guidelines to be given on the first day of the session at the capitol.
"Last week we publicly stated our reasons for denying quorum – we would like Republicans to honor the will of the voters," DFL Speaker-designate Melissa Hortman explained in a provided statement. "We're working to successfully conclude negotiations with House Republicans and remain hopeful that we will have a power-sharing agreement before Tuesday, January 14th. Denial of quorum is a legitimate parliamentary tactic. Michigan House Republicans used the same tactic in December 2024. In the event Democrats choose to deny quorum, we wanted to be sure to have all our members properly and legally sworn in, and we did that this evening."
What's next:
In a letter last Friday, Secretary of State Steve Simon told lawmakers he will move forward with convening the House on Tuesday. Simon says, despite the empty House seat, 68 members are still needed for a quorum. If there is no quorum on Tuesday, Simon says he will return the following day and try again.