Late Monday night, DFL legislators in the Minnesota House of Representatives elected Rep. Zack Stephenson as their new caucus leader.
The fourth-term lawmaker from Coon Rapids was expected to compete against Rep. Jamie Long of Minneapolis to replace Melissa Hortman as the top-ranking DFL House member.
Stephenson came out on top after House Democrats gathered at the Capitol Monday to choose their new leader — three months after Hortman and her husband Mark were assassinated in their Brooklyn Park home.
“I’m honored to have the support of my colleagues to serve as caucus leader,” Stephenson said in a statement. “Speaker Hortman is irreplaceable – as a leader, a strategist, a colleague, and a friend.”
“While I’ve been chosen to lead, it will take all of us, working together, to move forward, honor Speaker Hortman’s legacy, and build a Minnesota where everyone can succeed,” Stephenson continued.
Republicans currently hold a 67-66 advantage in the House, with a special election for Hortman’s District 34B seat coming up on Sept. 16. The district has voted for Democrats by wide margins in recent election cycles, which means it’s more than likely the House will be tied again after next Tuesday.
Walz wants special session on gun control
Stephenson’s election as caucus leader comes as Gov. Tim Walz pushes for a potential special session following the deadly Aug. 27 attack at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.
Walz knows some of his proposed gun control measures cannot pass without Republican support and even support from moderate DFLers in the Senate.
House Republicans on Tuesday morning congratulated Stephenson on his ascension to caucus leader.
“Leader Stephenson has a difficult job ahead, stepping into the shoes of Speaker-Emerita Melissa Hortman,” said House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring. “I hope that we can build a strong working relationship based on respect and our shared priority of making life better for Minnesotans. I look forward to continuing our important bipartisan work as ‘Team House’, begun by Melissa and I last session.”
Architect of marijuana legalization bill
Stephenson, 41, began his political career as Hortman’s campaign manager during her first successful election to the House in 2004.
The lawyer, who works inside the Mary Moriarty-led Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, has ascended to top leadership positions within the DFL caucus in recent years, including as co-chair of the House Ways and Means Committee and chair of the Commerce Committee.
Stephenson has been widely credited as one of the chief architects of a recreational marijuana bill the DFL trifecta passed into law two years ago.
He also worked as an attorney representing a handful of students who sued the Anoka-Hennepin School District in 2012 over what they alleged were discriminatory policies that tolerated harassment against students who identified as LGBTQ.
Stephenson voted party-line with his caucus during the 2025 legislative session on a number of bills that came to the House floor, including against a bill that would have prohibited biological males from participating in girls’ sports.
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
