(Dana Ferguson – Clay Masters – MPRnews) – A Democratic state lawmaker-elect is barred from taking the oath of office after a district court judge ruled Friday that the candidate had failed to comply with state residency requirements, putting the 67-67 tie in the Minnesota House in peril and giving Republicans a line on a slim majority.
Ramsey County District Judge Leonardo Castro issued an order granting an election challenge against Curtis Johnson, determining he didn’t live in the Roseville area district he sought to represent for the time required in state law.
Johnson’s Republican challenger, Paul Wikstrom, sought the ruling after he and supporters gathered surveillance video and photos that aimed to show Johnson did not reside in an apartment he claimed to during the campaign.
In his order, Castro agreed that Johnson failed to abide by the residency requirement and thus is ineligible to serve in the Minnesota House. His ruling gives Republicans a one-vote edge in the chamber though there is more court activity and possibly a legislative fight ahead.
The case has already been appealed to the Minnesota Supreme Court and this ruling could be folded into that challenge. Last week, Johnson petitioned to have the Supreme Court to block the entire challenge, arguing it came too late. Justices haven’t indicated whether they’ll step in but ordered the sides to make their arguments in writing by this week.
If the seat comes empty, a special election would be called to fill the vacancy. But that is almost certain to happen after the Legislature convenes on Jan. 14, which would give the GOP a temporary 67-66 margin as the House gets organized.
Republican leaders marked the ruling as a win on Friday.
“I applaud the court’s decision to grant the election contest and look forward to ensuring that a valid candidate represents District 40B during the upcoming legislative session,” House Speaker-designate Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said. “This is a clear reminder that laws matter, and integrity in the election process is non-negotiable.”
The trial in another election challenge closed earlier this week. DFL Rep. Brad Tabke said that his attorneys proved that he won a new term in House District 54A race, despite questions over 20 ballots that were accepted but never counted and then thrown away.
They brought forward six of those voters to testify that they’d supported Tabke in the election. That would appear to give him the edge over Republican Aaron Paul in the Shakopee-area district. Paul challenged the election outcome, saying that there may be enough votes for him in the 20-vote pool to give him an edge over Tabke. The certified election result gave Tabke a 14-vote win over Paul. A judge is set to issue a decision in the challenge within a matter of weeks.
The Minnesota Legislature is the final arbiter of member qualifications.
Democratic Speaker-designate Melissa Hortman, of Brooklyn Park, on Thursday said she was confident that the House would remain tied, even if Johnson was not able to take office next month.
“I don’t expect them to be successful in that election contest. But even if they were, and there were a special election, that seat would remain DFL,” Hortman said.
It’s unclear whether Republicans would agree to reorganize the House later in session to reflect a possible tie if the DFL hangs onto the Roseville seat. It would prove harder later because any 67-67 votes essentially preserve the status quo.
The Minnesota Senate is in DFL hands by a single seat — 34-33 — but a Democratic legislator facing felony burglary charges is due to stand trial in late January. Republicans and some Democrats have called for Sen. Nicole Mitchell to resign but she has rebuffed those requests.
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