Minnesota State Senate District 54 special election, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 16 , or in-person on Nov. 6
- Early voting: Sept. 21 - Nov. 5
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Voter ID: No
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
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Former state Rep. Karla Bigham (D) won the February 12, 2018, special election for Senate District 54, keeping it under Democratic control. Bigham received 50.7 percent of the vote to former state Rep. Denny McNamara's (R) 47.1 percent and nurse Emily Mellingen's (L) 2.2 percent.[1]
The special election for Senate District 54 was called following the resignation of former state Sen. Dan Schoen (D) in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct.
The election had the potential to impact control of the chamber; following the resignation of U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D), Gov. Mark Dayton (D) appointed Lt. Gov. Tina Smith (D) to Franken's seat, causing a vacancy to be opened in the lieutenant governorship. Under Minnesota state law, the state Senate president is first in line to the lieutenant governorship. State Senate President Michelle Fischbach (R) announced that she would not resign her state Senate seat after taking the lieutenant governorship, contending that state law did not prohibit her from serving in both roles simultaneously. The lawsuit was dismissed pending the state Legislature's return to session on February 20, 2018, but was re-filed on April 10, 2018, after the legislature returned to session. The suit was dismissed on May 31, 2018, after Fischbach resigned her seat in the state Senate and formally took the oath of office as lieutenant governor.[2][3] Should the court have ruled that Fischbach cannot hold both positions simultaneously, a special election to replace her seat in Senate District 13 would be called. Victory for the Democratic Party in that special election would give the party majority control of the chamber.[4][5]
How vacancies are filled in Minnesota
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.[6][7]
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.[7][8]
See sources: Minnesota Cons. Art. 4, § 4 and Minnesota Stat. § 204D.19
About the legislature
The Minnesota Legislature is the state legislature of Minnesota. It is a bicameral legislature, consisting of the lower Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota State Senate. The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the November 2016 elections. 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 7, 2016 | After November 8, 2016 | |
| Democratic Party | 61 | 57 | |
| Republican Party | 73 | 76 | |
| Vacancy | 0 | 1 | |
| Total | 134 | 134 | |
Candidates
Karla Bigham
Democratic primary candidates
- Karla Bigham (Incumbent) ✔
At the time of the special election, Bigham served on the Washington County Commission. Bigham has previously served in the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 57A from 2007 to 2011, but chose not to pursue re-election in 2010. Prior to the expiration of her final term, Bigham served as vice chair of the Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee. Bigham had previously worked as a staffer in the offices of the Democratic caucus of the state Legislature, as a paralegal, and as a union organizer.[9]
In her announcement that she would seek election to Schoen's former seat, Bigham stated that she would work to restore public trust in the state Legislature: "Whether it is the stalemate between the governor and the Legislature or the incidents that led to this special election, our government has squandered the public’s trust. I want to work to restore that trust and bring back common sense."[10]
Bigham has received endorsements from the AFL-CIO, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, the Minnesota Nurses Association, and the Sierra Club.[11] On February 7, 2018, Bigham was endorsed by the Star Tribune.[12]
Denny McNamara
Republican primary candidates
McNamara has previously served in the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 57B from 2003 to 2013 and District 54B from 2013 to 2017, but chose not to pursue re-election in 2016. Prior to the expiration of his final term, McNamara served as chairman of the Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee. McNamara had previously worked in landscape contracting.[13]
McNamara's campaign website emphasizes his past experience and connections to the district, arguing that he "not only understands the needs of our district but has consistently delivered for his constituents. As your next state senator, Denny will restore your trust and once again prioritize our values at the Capitol." The website emphasizes McNamara's stances on healthcare, infrastructure, and government management.[14]
McNamara has received the endorsement of the National Federation of Independent Business.[15]
Campaign finance
As of February 11, 2018, campaign finance reports were not available for the McNamara and Mellingen campaigns. The most recent campaign finance report available for the Bigham campaign was accurate as of December 3, 2017. It indicated that Bigham had raised $7,100 and had not spent any money.[16]
Debates and forums
January 30 candidate forum
On January 30, 2018, Karla Bigham (D) and Denny McNamara (R) attended a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters. Emily Mellingen (L) was invited to the forum, but did not attend. Among the issues described at the forum were:[17]
- Energy: Both McNamara and Brigham called for increased funding for renewable sources of energy.
- Healthcare: Bigham supported allowing residents to buy in to coverage provided by MinnesotaCare: "Healthcare has to be affordable and accessible and we need more competition in the market...People are having to decide between necessary medicine and eating. This is just wrong. And the profits these companies have are astronomical and it's not right and they should do the right thing and be competitive with their prices." McNamara called for the state to enact measures to reduce the cost of healthcare: "We can't do enough to go after big pharmacy as far as I'm concerned ... More transparency would be terrific for people to understand how expensive it is, so we can cost-shop and see and understand what the costs really are." Both Bigham and McNamara called for increased support for Minnesotans with mental illnesses.
- Immigration: Bigham argued that any immigration policy needed to involve members of the immigrant community: "The immigrant population is and vital and vibrant part of our workforce and we need to make sure that we're working with them...I think we need to treat folks with respect, and compassion and understanding and have discussions in a way that respect everybody involved." McNamara stated his belief that immigration laws should be enforced but that there should be a means for some who are currently living in the country without legal permission to obtain legal permission: "We have a number of folks in the country today that we need to find a way to keep them here and make it work for them... We've got some folks that are washing the dishes, washing our clothes, flipping our hamburgers, planting our trees, mowing our grass, doing all this different kind of work, and we need to recognize that we have to make it work and find a solution."
- Infrastructure: Both Bigham and McNamara called for increased funding to expand access to broadband in rural areas.
- Labor law: Both Bigham and McNamara stated their opposition to right to work policies.
- Sexual misconduct allegations: Bigham called for the creation of a formal process for reporting and investigating misconduct allegations, while McNamara argued in favor of a task force to investigate existing allegations.
Media reactions
This section provides an overview of media reactions to the election's result. In selecting articles for inclusion in this section, Ballotpedia has drawn from a variety of sources to identify articles that are representative of broader trends in media coverage.
- Kyle Potter, Associated Press (February 13, 2018):
- "Democrats in Minnesota held on to a state Senate seat in a rare Monday special election, preserving their hopes of retaking the chamber later this year.
- But there was little evidence of Democratic backlash against President Donald Trump and his party that spurred a series of upset victories in GOP-held districts across the country. Karla Bigham won the suburban St. Paul-area Senate seat by a lower margin than her Democratic predecessor."[18]
- Matthew Yglesias, Vox (February 13, 2018):
- "As neither seat is changing partisan hands, the direct implications of the races are minimal — Karla Bigham will hold the Senate seat for Democrats while Jeremy Munson won the House race — and everything will proceed as normal.
- But they do continue to indicate a national political environment that’s favorable to Democrats in the upcoming 2018 congressional elections. Holding the Senate seat raises the prospect that Democrats could seize a majority there, pending the outcome of some legal wrangling."[19]
District overview
Recent elections
In recent elections, the district has tended to lean Democratic; since 2006, only Dan Schoen (D) was elected by less than a 10 percent margin. This was also the only election where the Democratic candidate was not a sitting member of the chamber.
| Minnesota Senate District 54 elections, 2006-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First place candidate | First place vote totals | Second place candidate | Second place vote totals | Margin of victory |
| 2018 | Karla Bigham |
50.7% | Denny McNamara |
47.1% | 3.6% |
| 2016 | Dan Schoen |
53.2% | Leilani Holmstadt |
46.8% | 6.4% |
| 2012 | Katie Sieben |
63.9% | Janis Quinlan |
36.1% | 27.8% |
| 2010 | John Marty |
56.5% | Tim Johnson |
43.4% | 13.1% |
| 2006 | John Marty |
62.1% | Dan Williams |
37.9% | 24.2% |
The following chart indicates the results of presidential elections in Minnesota State Senate District 54.
| 2012 and 2016 presidential elections: Minnesota State Senate District 54 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Election | Democratic candidate | Republican candidate | Difference |
| 2016 presidential election | 44.7 percent | 46.2 percent | R+1.5 percent |
| 2012 presidential election | 52.5 percent | 45.3 percent | D+7.2 percent |
District demographics
After the redistricting following the 2010 Census, Minnesota State Senate District 54 was located in Dakota and Washington counties and included parts of the cities of Afton, College Grove, Hastings, South St. Paul, and St. Paul Park, as well the townships of Denmark, Grey Cloud Island, Nininger, and Ravenna.[20]
According to figures published in Statistical Atlas, the district's racial makeup as of the election was 85.8 percent non-Hispanic white, 4.7 percent Hispanic, 3.0 percent black, 3.5 percent Asian, and 2.5 percent multiracial. Compared to the overall state population, the district's population was comprised of a 3.2 percent larger proportion of white residents, a 2.2 percent smaller proportion of black residents, and a 0.6 percent smaller proportion of Asian residents.[20]
40.3 percent of the district's population held an advanced degree, while 53.5 percent had a high school diploma without an advanced degree and 6.2 percent did not have a high school diploma. This means that compared to the state average, the district had an 8.8 percent larger population of residents with a high school diploma but no advanced degree, a 6.0 percent smaller population of residents with an advanced degree, and a 22.1 percent smaller population of residents without a high school diploma.[20]
See also
- Minnesota state legislative special elections, 2018
- State legislative special elections, 2018
- State legislative special elections, 2016
- State legislative special elections, 2015
- Minnesota State Senate elections, 2016
- Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2016
- Minnesota State Legislature
Footnotes
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Unofficial Results - State Senator District 54," accessed February 12, 2018
- ↑ Minnesota Lawyer, "In turnabout, Fischbach becomes lieutenant governor," May 25, 2018
- ↑ Minnesota Lawyer, "Court cancels hearing, formally ending Fischbach suit," May 31, 2018
- ↑ Minnesota Public Radio, "Minnesota Senate power struggle raises stakes in special election," January 26, 2018
- ↑ StarTribune, "Lawsuit re-filed against Fischbach over dual roles," April 10, 2018
- ↑ Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, "Constitution of the State of Minnesota," accessed February 12, 2021 (Article 4, Section 4)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, "2020 Minnesota Statutes," accessed February 12, 2021 (Statute 204D.19 (1)-(3))
- ↑ Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, "2020 Minnesota Statutes," accessed February 12, 2021 (Statute 204B.13)
- ↑ Project VoteSmart, "Karla Bigham's Political Summary," accessed February 6, 2018
- ↑ Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "Democrat announces bid for Sen. Dan Schoen’s seat, GOPer considers run," November 22, 2017
- ↑ Karla Bigham, "Endorsements," accessed February 6, 2018
- ↑ Star Tribune, "Karla Bigham is Editorial Board's pick in Minnesota Senate special election," February 7, 2018
- ↑ Project VoteSmart, "Denny McNamara's Political Summary," accessed February 6, 2018
- ↑ Vote Denny McNamara, "Home," accessed February 6, 2018
- ↑ NFIB, "Small Business Endorses Denny McNamara in Senate Special Election," January 23, 2018
- ↑ Minnesota Campaign Finance Board, "Karla Bigham Senate Committee," accessed February 11, 2018
- ↑ Hastings Star Gazette, "Senate candidates face off at forum," February 6, 2018
- ↑ U.S. News, "Democrats Hold Minnesota Senate Seat in High-Stakes Election," February 13, 2018
- ↑ Vox, "Minnesota Democrats prevail in a critical special election, holding on to a Trump country seat," February 13, 2018
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Statistical Atlas, "Overview of State Senate District 54, Minnesota," accessed February 6, 2018
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