Democrats gain strength in Minnesota legislature, Republicans prepare to obstruct

You rarely hear this mentioned in national news anymore. But the Minnesota state Democratic Party is actually named the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, a label going back to the "Popular Front" days of the 1930s. Any actual (and pretty much any suspected) "fellow travelers" of the Communist Party were purged out in the immediate post-Second World War years, a purge in which Minneapolis Mayor Hubert Humphrey played a leadering role. But the name from the old days remains. Because it wasn't only Communists who had the notion of a party devoted to defending the needs of farmers and workers.

Barb Kucera at the News Now blog reports that the DFL Party now has a supermajority in the state legislature, Union Member Win Shifts Minnesota Legislature to Working Families 01/04/08:

While the Iowa caucuses are getting all the media attention, a special election Thursday in Minnesota Senate District 25 has shifted the balance of power in the state government.

The victory by Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party member Kevin Dahle also adds another labor leader to the ranks of union members serving in the Legislature.

Dahle garnered 6,802 votes - 55 percent, compared with 5,225 (42 percent) for Republican Ray Cox. Dahle fills the seat vacated when Republican Tom Neuville resigned to become a judge.

His election means the DFL Party now has a "supermajority" - enough votes in the state Senate to override any legislative vetoes by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Last session, Pawlenty vetoed major bills, including transportation funding and local government aid.

Note that his is a supermajority in the state senate. The DFL has a strong majority in the state house, but not a supermajority there. I hope the DFL senate supermajority will show considerable more willingness to fight than the small Democratic majority in Congress has so far been willing to do.

Sarah Lemagie reports in Election gives DFL veto-proof majority Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune 01/04/08:

DFLer Kevin Dahle, a high school teacher who has never held public office, defeated former Rep. Ray Cox, R-Northfield, to win the seat that Sen. Tom Neuville, R-Northfield, held for 17 years before being appointed to a Rice County judgeship.

The Republican Party had banked on Cox taking the torch from Neuville, but Cox's experience - two terms in the House, 15 years on the school board and five on the planning commission - apparently wasn't enough.

The younger vote seemed to have been a surprising factor in that election, as it was in the Iowa caucuses:

Dahle was boosted by the student vote at Carleton and St. Olaf colleges, despite predictions that few undergrads would turn out for a special election held just as they returned to campus from winter break.

She also notes that the state Republicans intend to fight to block progressive legislation even with a major DFL majority:

The win gives the DFL the two-thirds majority it needs in the 67-member Senate to override vetoes by the governor. But a veto-proof majority won't change Pawlenty's relationship with the Legislature, said Brian McClung, the governor's spokesman.

Schier pointed out that the DFL is still several seats short of the mark in the House. "If there were veto-proof majorities in both chambers, then it would be different," he said. "Then I think you would see some change in policy, but that hasn't happened."

He added that "it will encourage Pawlenty to work very closely with the House Republican caucus to be sure they're on the same page with major issues to prevent veto-proof majorities."

I guess Minnesota Republicans haven't yet heard from Dean David Broder and David Brooks that the public hates "partisanship" and wants leaders who are "bipartisan".

Tags: minnesota politics