Minnesota State Senate District 44: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 07:23, 11 April 2025

Minnesota State Senate District 44 is represented by Tou Xiong (D).

As of the 2020 Census, Minnesota state senators represented an average of 85,220 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 79,327 residents.

About the chamber

Members of the Minnesota State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Minnesota legislators assume office on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January after the election. When the first Monday in January falls on January 1, legislators assume office on the first Wednesday after the first Monday.^[1]^[2]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

To be eligible to run for the Minnesota State Senate, a candidate must:^[3]

Be eligible to vote in Minnesota
Be 21 years of age or more upon assuming office
Be a resident of Minnesota for at least one year before the general election
Be a resident of the legislative district for at least six months before the general election
Have not filed for another office at the upcoming primary or general election
Participated in the party's most recent precinct caucuses, or intend to vote for a majority of the party's candidates at the next general election (if major party candidate)

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024^[4]
Salary	Per diem
$51,750/year	For senators: $86/day. For representatives: $66/day.

Vacancies

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.^[5]^[6]

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.^[6]^[7]

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

District map

Redistricting

2020 redistricting cycle

See also: Redistricting in Minnesota after the 2020 census

Minnesota enacted new legislative district boundaries on February 15, 2022, when a special judicial redistricting panel issued an order adopting final maps. Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea established the five-judge special redistricting panel in June 2021 to hear legal challenges regarding redistricting and adopt maps should the legislature not agree on them. The panel consisted of two state court of appeals justices and three state district court judges. Republican governors originally appointed two of the five justices, Democratic governors originally appointed two, and former Gov. Jesse Ventura (Reform) originally appointed one justice.

On June 2, 2022, Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed legislation containing adjustments to Senate Districts 15 and 16 as well as to House Districts 15, 16, and 58.^[8] The changes were effective for the 2022 elections. On May 24, 2023, Walz signed a state budget bill that included modifications to Senate Districts 9, 12, 17, and 24.^[9]^[10]^[11] The changes were effective for the 2024 elections.

How does redistricting in Minnesota work? In Minnesota, congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the Minnesota State Legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.^[12]

The Minnesota Constitution requires "that state Senate districts be contiguous, and that Representative districts be nested within Senate districts." State statutes apply contiguity requirements to all congressional and state legislative districts. Furthermore, state statutes stipulate that political subdivisions should not be divided "more than necessary."^[12]

Minnesota State Senate District 44
before 2020 redistricting cycle

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Minnesota State Senate District 44
after 2020 redistricting cycle

Click a district to compare boundaries.

Elections

2022

See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Minnesota State Senate District 44

Tou Xiong defeated Paul Babin in the general election for Minnesota State Senate District 44 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tou Xiong (D)	59.5	19,173
	Submit photo	Paul Babin (R)	40.3	12,984
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	43

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,200
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 44

Tou Xiong defeated Nancy Livingston and Leslie Lienemann in the Democratic primary for Minnesota State Senate District 44 on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tou Xiong	47.6	2,634
	Submit photo	Nancy Livingston	26.7	1,476
	Submit photo	Leslie Lienemann	25.7	1,421

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,531
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Minnesota State Senate District 44

Paul Babin advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota State Senate District 44 on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Paul Babin	100.0	2,357

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,357
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.