Standoff extended in Minnesota House with no power-sharing deal
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Any hope of an end to the standoff at the Minnesota House of Representatives was dashed Tuesday afternoon when the gavel struck on a half-empty chamber.
House turmoil
What's happening:
The House is in turmoil while Republicans and Democrat leaders figure out who’s in charge, and for how long.
Tuesday was almost a carbon copy of Monday: 67 House Republicans entered the House chamber and left a few minutes later. The DFL stayed away, and all negotiations for a power-sharing agreement are happening privately.
Three times now, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon has briefly presided over a half-empty House chamber.
Without a quorum of 68 members, he adjourned again Tuesday, and the House standstill was extended another day.
What's the catch?
House holdup:
Here’s what we know about negotiations between leaders – the DFL has offered to let Republicans have all the positions of power in the House for about seven weeks, until a vote in Roseville presumably restores a 67-67 tie.
At that point, they want shared power.
"We have narrowed the issues a bit as we're negotiating actually pretty substantially," said Rep. Melissa Hortman, the DFL Speaker-designate. "So, I think we're making progress. Failure is not an option."
Republicans tried to secure all the leadership positions for two years — no matter what happens in Roseville.
Publicly, they’re not budging from that position even after the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled their takeover can’t happen until 68 members show up.
"We are absolutely happy to talk with our Democratic colleagues," said Rep. Lisa Demuth, the GOP Speaker-designate. "Democrats need to show up, and we can find a pathway forward."
Boycott consequence
Lose-lose:
Democrats have extended their boycott, saying they’re working in their districts, but staying away from the Capitol.
But they may be in a lose-lose position.
"They're kind of caught in this really bad loop at this point," said Hamline University political science professor David Schultz. "If they show up, they've conceded power. If they don't show up, it's a public perception problem."
Democrats seem hopeful of a deal coming together this week. Republicans don’t seem as optimistic.
And Secretary of State Simon will come check on the numbers again Wednesday afternoon.