Dear Neighbors,  

I hope you had a very good holiday season and wonderful start to the New Year!  

Session begins this week, but it will likely look different. You’ve likely seen the reports of DFL legislators denying quorum. I would like to tell you more about the situation and why my DFL colleagues and I are working to protect the integrity of our institution and the will of Minnesota voters. If you have been following the results of the Minnesota Legislative elections ended up in equal representation of Democrats and Republicans in the MN House, 67-67.  

Since November, DFL and Republican leaders had been negotiating a power sharing agreement to ensure a stable and productive environment in which to do the work of Minnesotans in the legislature. Committees and committee co-chairs had been agreed upon and announced and plans for a co-Speaker arrangement were being worked out.  

Unfortunately, after pressure from the MAGA base, House Republicans walked away from power-sharing negotiations about how we can co-govern and are now attempting an illegitimate power grab that could have significant consequences for all the gains we achieved in housing, healthcare expansion, and economic development in our community. How did we get here?  

In late December, a judge ruled that a state representative who was elected this fall did not meet the residency requirements to serve in that district. This vacancy means Republicans will have a one-seat advantage for two weeks until a special election in a blue district will likely return the legislature back to a tie. A majority in the Minnesota House is 68 members and this vacancy doesn’t change that. Neither party has a majority.  

However, Republicans are saying they will use their two-week, one-seat advantage to seize control of the House for the next two years by electing a speaker with less than a majority of the House. Alarmingly, they have also said publicly that they plan to unseat another duly elected DFL state representative in an election they lost in order to force a special election. They are committing to overturn the will of the voters who cast their ballots in that district and again deny the election results because they didn’t win. Throwing out an election in this manner has never happened in the history of our state.  

A power grab and denial of reality follows a similar playbook we’ve seen from national Republicans. As state representatives, it is our job to support and protect our communities, Minnesotans and the state against those national forces that have openly expressed hostility to our democratic freedoms and the rule of law, while demonizing our racial and ethnic diversity, our LGBTQ+ community, our immigrant community, and other vulnerable populations. 

In this tumultuous time, I will continue the work in whatever way I need to protect representative democracy and ensure that everyone has access to a safe and dignified home, clean air and water, and the ability to build wealth for their families.   

I look forward to returning to the power-sharing agreement that our leaders have negotiated - but if Republicans attempt their power grab, I will join my DFL colleagues in a pledge to deny quorum by not attending floor sessions to prevent them from throwing out an election and moving forward with a MAGA agenda that will harm our community. If the House Republicans do not back down from their threats to commandeer the House floor, I will start session continuing the same work that I do in our community -- meeting with constituents, community leaders, and people from around the state in the work of moving forward my legislative agenda that shifts power, agency and economic opportunity to Minnesota families. 

To state the obvious, this is a unique and unprecedented situation. Please reach out to me with any questions you have – I would be happy to connect about this or anything else that is important to you. It is an honor to represent our community in the Minnesota House and I am deeply grateful and committed to be doing this work with you to build a future together where all Minnesotans can thrive. 

Legislative Assistant 

Shamat Abraha 

[email protected] 

651-296-7189