The battle for control of the Minnesota Legislature is already well underway as incumbent lawmakers announce their retirements and new candidates kick off their campaigns.
Next year, all 201 seats in the legislature are up for election and the stakes could not be higher. The DFL currently has a one-vote majority in the Minnesota Senate (34-33) and the Minnesota House of Representatives is evenly split with 67 Republicans and 67 DFLers.
As such, the two chambers could be won by either party next year and the results will define the political landscape that awaits the next governor of Minnesota.
Retirements in Minnesota Senate Districts 49 and 22
On Monday, DFL State Sen. Steve Cwodzinski said he would not seek reelection in 2026. Cwodzinski, who represents Eden Prairie, part of Minnetonka, and a small portion of Chanhassen, first joined the Senate after defeating then-GOP Senate Minority Leader David Hann in 2016.
“Thank you, Minnesota, with a special shoutout to Eden Prairie and Minnetonka,” said Cwodzinski in a statement announcing his retirement.
“I still have 12 months to listen and learn from you all,” he continued. “Our Constitution begins with the words ‘We the people, in order to form a more perfect union…’ The framers knew we would never be perfect, but we should never stop striving to be perfect. That is what I hope to do.”
Cwodzinski won reelection bids by wide margins in 2020 and 2022. The seat being vacated by Cwodzinski, Senate District 49, significantly favors the DFL.
Meanwhile, GOP State Sen. Rich Draheim also announced on Monday that he would retire from the Senate. First elected in 2016, Draheim represents Senate District 22 in southern Minnesota. The district includes parts of Blue Earth, Watonwan, Martin, Faribault, and Le Sueur counties.
“Everyone has something to offer, and there needs to be fresh voices in St. Paul,” said Draheim in a statement. “I’m proud of the things I got done, but I’ll also remember the things that didn’t make it across the finish line and the impact they could have had.”
Following Draheim’s announcement, former Republican State Rep. Jeremy Munson quickly announced that he would seek the seat being vacated by Draheim. Munson previously served in the House from 2018 to 2023 and ran for Congress in 2022.
“As legislative colleagues, Rich and I wrote commonsense bills together, and it was an honor to serve half of his Senate district in the House of Representatives,” Munson said in a news release. “I look forward to continuing that work for the entire district.”
Author of ‘sanctuary state’ legislation announces retirement
In the House, DFL State Rep. Sandra Feist told constituents she would not seek reelection in 2026. Feist represents House District 39B which includes portions of Hennepin, Ramsey, and Anoka counties. The district is considered a safe DFL seat.
“I am so proud of the work I have done as a member of the Minnesota House,” said Feist. “As an immigration attorney, I brought my expertise to the state level, enacting laws to optimize the interplay between state and federal law to support immigrants.”
During her time in the legislature, Feist was known as the author of the so-called “North Star Act” which would have banned local law enforcement from assisting federal agencies in enforcing immigration law. The proposed legislation ultimately did not become law.
Feist also sponsored a bill that requires public schools to stock menstrual products in bathrooms that serve students from 4th through 12th grade.
When the law was initially being debated by the legislature in 2023, Democrats rejected a Republican amendment that would have required menstrual products to only be stocked in female bathrooms.
Feist urged lawmakers to reject the GOP amendment because “not all students who menstruate are female.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
