Just hours before Republicans and Democrats in the Minnesota House announced Wednesday evening they had ended their three-week tug-of-war for control of the chamber, Gov. Tim Walz set a date for a special election in District 40B—Tuesday, March 11.
The two candidates vying for the north metro seat made vacant by a judge’s order in December are Republican Paul Wikstrom and DFLer David Gottfried.
While the Roseville and Shoreview communities have reliably voted for Democrat candidates for several election cycles, if Wikstrom pulls off an upset, his addition to the House would give Republicans a two-seat majority. If Gottfried wins the special election, Democrats will pull into a 67-67 tie with the GOP.
Wikstrom, an aerospace and medical device industry manager, and Gottfried, a “pro bono specialist” at a local law firm, have been campaigning for several weeks—albeit in limbo—as Walz had yet to select a new date for the special election after the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled last month that the governor’s previous writ was issued prematurely.
But on Wednesday afternoon, Walz issued another writ, in accordance with the court order, which sets the special election date five weeks from now. That had both candidates moving full steam ahead with their campaigns.
Gottfried didn’t reply to Alpha News’ requests for comment. But in a statement on Wednesday evening, he told his supporters he is “thrilled that the campaign is back in action” and said he will focus on “addressing the needs of working families in Roseville and Shoreview.”
Gottfried was an open supporter of Curtis Johnson even after he admitted to knowing about Johnson’s residency eligibility allegations that had surfaced during their primary campaign last April and again last fall when Gottfried door knocked for Johnson.
Wikstrom’s second chance for an upset in DFL-heavy district
Legislators and political pundits across the state had been watching and waiting to see when Walz might issue a writ of special election for the seat that was made vacant in late December after a judge ruled that Johnson did not meet residency requirements to take the oath of office.
Johnson had defeated Wikstrom in the Nov. 5 general election by 30 points. But one week later Wikstrom filed a lawsuit in Ramsey County claiming Johnson didn’t actually live in the district and asked the court to order Johnson to surrender his election certificate.
Following Judge Leonardo Castro’s Dec. 20 order, Johnson conceded his election certificate and Walz issued a writ on Dec. 27 to hold a special election for 40B on Jan. 28.
But the Republican Party of Minnesota then sued Walz claiming he didn’t have the constitutional authority to set a special election date before the seat was officially made vacant. The Supreme Court ruled on Jan. 17 in favor of the GOP and co-petitioners in the district and since then politicos have been waiting on Walz to reissue a writ.
While Wikstrom is again the underdog in his second attempt to win the 40B seat, he plans to utilize his rise in name ID and the appetite he believes voters in his district and across Minnesota have for political balance at the Capitol.
“We must restore a politically balanced government that will serve the needs of the residents of House District 40B and all Minnesotans,” Wikstrom told Alpha News. “I seek to serve in a legislature that will return to affordable spending levels, lower our taxes and eliminate rampant fraud in our state.”
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.
