With Democrats gaining another trifecta, many are concerned about what it could mean for the future of Minnesota.
Republican state Sen. Michael Holmstrom joined Liz Collin on her podcast and spoke about what lies ahead — and what the next legislative session in January may look like.
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Holmstrom, who represents Senate District 29, explained how looking back points to what is likely to happen in the future.
“I think that all you have to do is look to the last session. The number one priority they brought forward was the human rights amendment. They’re going to bring that forward again. They’re going to bring forward the gun bills, they’re going to bring forward anti-ICE bills,” Holmstrom said.
He also pointed out that “they’re going to bring forward anti-big tech bills, which may have Republican support. Some of them had my support last year.”
In short, Holmstrom believes DFL legislators will do “whatever they think can hurt the Republicans and help with their radical ideology.”
Anti-Trump group 50501 has announced a St. Paul, Minn. direct action on Nov. 7, suggesting they will become violent against Democrats if immigration enforcement isn't ended and Trump officials aren't prosecuted.
This is the same group that argued democracy was over because Trump… pic.twitter.com/PCR5zGvLmL
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) November 4, 2026
“Socialism’s on the ticket, everything. Raising taxes, raising unfunded mandates, raising the fees, whether it be tab fees or just any of your government fees, there are thousands of them. We’re going to see it all,” Holmstrom said.
For at least the next two years, essentially all Republicans can do is “inform the Democrats and inform the Minnesota people of exactly what these bills are going to do.”
“If you look at those gun bills, they had no idea what their own legislation would do. They just wrote it down, copy and pasted, asked AI. They had no idea what they were writing,” Holmstrom explained.
“When we brought up that, well, if you say dismantling a firearm includes a magazine and you’re not allowed to dismantle a firearm, or more than twice a year, what you’re saying is you’re banning all handguns. And they went, well that’s not what we wanted to do. Well that’s what the bill does. If you’re banning every gun that has a foregrip, well that’s every long rifle and shotgun in the state,” he said.
“They just don’t understand what they’re legislating,” Holmstrom continued. “That’s going to continue to happen. So our job in the legislature as Republicans is going to be to throw up that red flag and say, hey, this doesn’t make sense.”
Regardless, on gun control legislation, he expects Democrats will “ignore us and plow through anyway.”
“I expect now Gov.-elect [Amy] Klobuchar to pass those, to sign the bills, and then it’s going to get battled out in the courts. The courts are our last line of defense here,” Holmstrom commented.
“So you can bet we’re going to circle the wagons, we’re going to do everything we can. I’m going to fight twice as hard as I did last year against these bills. They are not going to pass any of this quietly,” he said.
“My voters, they knew what was on the ticket, they made the choice that reflected their values and now they need us to stand up and fight for them,” Holmstrom added.
He also discussed where things stand with Minnesota’s ongoing fight against fraud.
“We saw last week Tim Walz try to pack the Inspector General’s office with his own cronies. I imagine that they’re going to try to do the same thing,” he said.
“This is now a cleanup operation. This is not going to be exposing the fraud. This is not going to be about stopping the fraud. They’ve gotten everything they need to cover it up, allow it to keep happening, and this next time do it in a way that doesn’t get found out,” Holmstrom continued.
Despite the challenges, he concluded with a message of hope for Minnesota.
“The fight’s not over. There are still legislators down here, there are still leaders across the state who are fighting for you, who understand you, we heard you, we know that change needs to happen within our party. We’re working to make that change,” Holmstrom explained.
“In 2006, Democrats had a wild majority in the Minnesota Senate. Republicans only had 23 seats. Four years later, we won 14 seats. We came with a majority, and we started making things better,” he said. “There is hope, there is change on the horizon. We just need you to let us know and be honest with us about what you need the Republican Party to be, because we’re in rebuild mode and you’re in charge.”
Liz Collin
Liz Collin is a multi-Emmy-Award-winning investigative reporter, news anchor, and producer who cares about Minnesota. She is the producer of The Fall of Minneapolis and Minnesota v We the People documentary films, and author of the Amazon best-selling book, They’re Lying: The Media, the Left, and The Death of George Floyd. Her work has prompted important state laws. Yet perhaps most of all, Liz has been giving a voice to the truth—and helping others tell their stories—for more than 20 years.
Dr. JC Chaix
Dr. JC Chaix is an editor, educator, and an expert in media studies. He wrote and directed the Alpha News documentary "The Fall of Minneapolis" and "Minnesota v We the People."
