Minnesota State Senate District 11 special election, 2019

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Jason Rarick (R) defeated Stu Lourey (DFL) and Legal Marijuana Now candidate John Birrenbach in the special election for Minnesota State Senate District 11 on February 5, 2019. Rarick's win gave Republicans a three-seat majority in the Minnesota State Senate, up from the one-seat majority they held before state Sen. Tony Lourey (DFL) resigned from the District 11 seat in January 2019.

Tony Lourey—Stu Lourey's father—resigned after Governor Tim Walz (DFL) appointed him to serve as human services commissioner, prompting the special election.

Tony Lourey was in the District 11 seat since 2007. His mother, Becky Lourey (DFL), held the seat from 1997 to 2007. Donald Trump (R) won Senate District 11 by 13 points in 2016.

Before Tony Lourey's resignation, Republicans held a 34-33 majority in the state Senate. Republicans gained that majority in the special election for Minnesota State Senate District 13 won by Jeff Howe (R) on November 6, 2018. The state Senate had been split 33-33 since May 2018, when Michelle Fischbach (R) resigned to serve as lieutenant governor. Howe's win prevented the state from becoming a Democratic trifecta following the November 2018 general elections.

All 67 seats in the state Senate were up for election on November 3, 2020.

This election was a battleground race. Other 2019 battlegrounds included:

Mayoral election in Houston, Texas (2019) Mayoral election in Nashville, Tennessee (2019) North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District election (April 30, 2019 Republican primary)

Candidates and election results

General election

Special general election for Minnesota State Senate District 11

Jason Rarick defeated Stu Lourey and John Birrenbach in the special general election for Minnesota State Senate District 11 on February 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jason Rarick (R)	52.0	8,127
		Stu Lourey (D)	45.9	7,171
		John Birrenbach (Legal Marijuana Now Party)	1.9	298
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	27

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 15,623
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 11

Stu Lourey defeated Michelle Lee in the special Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 11 on January 22, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stu Lourey	53.2	1,932
		Michelle Lee	46.8	1,699

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,631
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Special Republican primary for Minnesota State Senate District 11

Jason Rarick advanced from the special Republican primary for Minnesota State Senate District 11 on January 22, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jason Rarick	100.0	689

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 689
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Justin Krych (R)
• Matthias Shir (R)
• Carl Pederson (R)

Legal Marijuana Now Party primary election

Special Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for Minnesota State Senate District 11

John Birrenbach advanced from the special Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for Minnesota State Senate District 11 on January 22, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Birrenbach	100.0	69

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 69
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages

John Birrenbach, business/marketing consultant

Party: Legal Marijuana Now

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Birrenbach served in the Navy. He was an Independent Grassroots Party candidate for U.S. president in 1996 and an Independence Party candidate for the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2000. As of the election, he was a self-employed business and marketing consultant.

Key messages

• Birrenbach highlighted that he was not a Democrat, a Republican, or a politician.

• He said there was "a lack of civility and decorum going on in politics" and that he could change that by working with everyone.

• Birrenbach stressed his support for rural high-speed internet access, universal healthcare, legalizing marijuana, a balanced state budget, and having the wealthy pay a larger share of taxes than the less wealthy.

Stu Lourey, legislative aide to Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.)

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Lourey received a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College. He was a legislative correspondent and field representative for former Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.). As of the 2019 election, Lourey worked as a legislative aide for Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.). He is the son of former state Sen. Tony Lourey, whose seat he was running for.

Key messages

• Lourey highlighted his work experience as a legislative aide to Sen. Tina Smith and former Sen. Al Franken.

• Lourey emphasized his policy priorities of affordable healthcare, good schools, rural broadband access, and jobs.

• Lourey said "public service is about showing up, listening, and giving back to the folks you care about."

• Lourey said he learned how to work hard while growing up on a farm and stressed that he lived on his family's farm at the time of the election.

Jason Rarick, state representative

Party: Republican

Incumbent: No

Political office: State representative, District 11B (Assumed office: 2015)

Biography: Rarick received an Associate of Applied Science from Minneapolis' Dunwoody College of Technology. He joined the St. Paul Electrical Union, IBEW 110 in 1992. He became a master electrician in 1997, and in 2004, he began work as a self-employed contractor at Rarick Electric. As of the 2019 election, he was a board member for Habitat for Humanity.

Key messages

• Rarick emphasized what he called his conservative values, including opposition to abortion and gun regulations and support for lower taxes.

• Rarick highlighted his 30 years as a union member, saying this made him "not your typical Republican."

• Rarick said east Minnesota's way of life was under attack and that he had a proven record of defending Minnesota's values in the state House.

• Rarick says he is "an electrician, not a politician."

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available:

• Stu Lourey
• Jason Rarick

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Stu Lourey

Lourey released a digital ad on Facebook. Click here to view the ad.

Jason Rarick

Support

"Defend Our Values" - Rarick campaign ad, released January 16, 2019

Oppose

The Minnesota DFL released an ad opposing Rarick. Click here to view the ad.

Campaign themes

Note: As of January 2019, Birrenbach did not have a campaign website.

Stu Lourey

The following were found on Lourey's campaign website.

“	Showing up, Listening, and Working Hard to Deliver for Our Community. Stu believes in service – and always has. He’s spent life learning to listen, work hard, and get results through bringing people together. These are values he learned from his community and on his family’s farm. Working for our U.S. Senators, Stu lived out these values back to our communities, listening to our stories and concerns and working hard to find solutions. He knows that the decisions made in Saint Paul for our schools, our healthcare, and our regional economy will affect generations to come. That’s why he plans to bring our voices – from community meetings, our PTO meetings, or church basements – to the capitol. Stu learned early on – from neighbors, teachers and friends – that we show up for each other. Whether it was the folks who jumped in to haul wet bales out of the ditch when his trailer overturned or the neighbors who thought of his brother for welding projects when he was getting his business off the ground, Stu knows that we show up for each other, especially when we need it most.	”
—Stu Lourey's 2019 campaign website

Jason Rarick

The following is from Rarick's campaign announcement video.

“	I want to represent your values in the Minnesota Senate. I believe we all value protecting life at all stages, that we can fund transportation without raising the gas tax, that we should be protecting our Second Amendment rights, and that we should be funding broadband to our rural areas. I would be proud to bring my experience as a 30-year union electrician to the Minnesota Senate. It's an experience that is different to the Republican Party than normal. I also bring the experience of living in the district for my entire life and now on the farm that I purchased from my grandparents, that has been in my family for four generations.	”
—Jason Rarick's 2019 campaign website

Social media

Twitter accounts

Tweets by Stu Lourey Tweets by Jason Rarick

Note: As of January 2019, Ballotpedia did not find a Twitter account for Birrenbach.

Facebook accounts

Click the icons below to visit the candidates' Facebook pages.

John Birrenbach

Stu Lourey

Jason Rarick

Democratic primary

Campaign finance

Candidates reported the following fundraising figures through Jan. 8, 2019. Lee filed to be on the ballot Jan. 4, and Lourey filed on Jan. 7.

• Michelle Lee: $2,410
• Stu Lourey: $28,523

Endorsements

Michelle Lee

• Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL)
• Former Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon
• Former State Senator Florian Chmielewski
• Women Winning

Stu Lourey

• AFSCME Council 65
• AFSCME Council 5
• Minnesota AFL-CIO
• Northeast Area Labor Council
• Teamsters Joint Council 32
• Minnesota Association of Professional Employees
• State Rep. Jennifer Schultz
• State Sen. Erik Simonson
• Former State Rep. Bill Hilty

District election history

2016

See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Minnesota State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was May 31, 2016.

Incumbent Tony Lourey defeated Michael Cummins in the Minnesota State Senate District 11 general election.

Minnesota State Senate, District 11 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Tony Lourey Incumbent	54.57%	20,519
	Republican	Michael Cummins	45.43%	17,079
Total Votes				37,598
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State

Incumbent Tony Lourey ran unopposed in the Minnesota State Senate District 11 Democratic primary.

Minnesota State Senate, District 11 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	Tony Lourey Incumbent (unopposed)

Michael Cummins ran unopposed in the Minnesota State Senate District 11 Republican primary.

Minnesota State Senate, District 11 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Michael Cummins  (unopposed)

2012

See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2012

Elections for the Minnesota State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 14, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 5, 2012. Incumbent Tony Lourey (D) defeated Bill Saumer (R) in the general election. Neither candidate faced opposition in their primary.

Minnesota State Senate, District 11, General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Tony Lourey Incumbent	64.3%	24,342
	Republican	Bill Saumer	35.7%	13,505
Total Votes				37,847

Background

How vacancies are filled in Minnesota

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

Vacancies in the Minnesota State Legislature are filled through election. If there are more than 150 days before the next state general election, and the legislature will not be in session before the results are canvassed, then any vacancy is filled at the next state general election.

If the vacancy happens during the legislative session, the governor has five days to issue a writ calling for a special election. The election must take place no more than 35 days after the issuance of the writ. If the legislature is out of session and there are fewer than 150 days before the next state general election, the governor must call for a special election so the winner of the election can take office when the legislature reconvenes.

See sources: Minnesota Cons. Art. 4, § 4 and Minnesota Stat. § 204D.19

About the legislature

The Minnesota State Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the lower Minnesota House of Representatives with 134 representatives, and the upper Minnesota State Senate with 67 senators. Members are elected in the general election immediately preceding the beginning of the term or in special elections called to fill vacancies.

Partisan breakdown

The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the general elections in 2018 and 2016. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).

Minnesota State Senate
Party		As of November 7, 2016	After November 8, 2016
	Democratic Party	38	33
	Republican Party	28	34
	Vacancy	1	0
Total		67	67

Minnesota House of Representatives
Party		As of November 6, 2018	After November 7, 2018
	Democratic Party	56	75
	Republican Party	77	59
	Vacancy	1	0
Total		134	134

State profile

See also: Minnesota and Minnesota elections, 2019

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019

Presidential voting pattern

• Minnesota voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Congressional delegation

• Following the 2018 elections, both U.S. Senators from Minnesota were Democrats.
• Minnesota had five Democratic and three Republican U.S. Representatives.

State executives

• Democrats held six of Minnesota's 16 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
• Minnesota's governor was Democrat Tim Walz.

State legislature

• Republicans controlled the Minnesota State Senate with a 35-32 majority.
• Democrats controlled the Minnesota House of Representatives with a 75-59 majority.

Minnesota Party Control: 1992-2024
Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	I	I	I	I	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D
House	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D

Minnesota quick stats

• Became a state in 1858
• 32nd state admitted to the United States
• Minnesota is the northernmost contiguous state.
• Members of the Minnesota State Senate: 67
• Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives: 134
• U.S. senators: 2
• U.S. representatives: 8

More Minnesota coverage on Ballotpedia:

• Minnesota elections, 2019
• Presidential voting trends in Minnesota
• United States congressional delegations from Minnesota
• Public policy in Minnesota
• Influencers in Minnesota
• Almanac of American Politics state profile
• More...

Demographic data for Minnesota
	Minnesota	U.S.
Total population:	5,482,435	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	79,627	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	84.8%	73.6%
Black/African American:	5.5%	12.6%
Asian:	4.4%	5.1%
Native American:	1%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.7%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	5%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	92.4%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	33.7%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$61,492	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	12.2%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Minnesota. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

See also

• Minnesota state legislative special elections, 2019
• State legislative special elections, 2019
• State legislative special elections, 2018
• State legislative special elections, 2017
• State legislative special elections, 2016
• Minnesota State Legislature