On September 15, the Minnesota House Democratic Farmer Labor (DFL) Caucus elected Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL-Brooklyn Park) as their new caucus leader. Stephenson will have to step in and fill the shoes of former DFL Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman after her tragic murder in June. Currently in his fourth term in the House of Representatives, Rep. Stephenson has experience in high profile positions having previously shepherded legislation legalizing and regulating adult use of cannabis in the House of Representatives. He has served as Commerce Committee Chair, as well as Chair of the influential Ways and Means Committee. Stephenson’s legislative experience is likely to be put to the test early in his tenure, as a potential special legislative session dedicated to issues related to gun violence could be called this fall.

The day after electing Rep. Stephenson to fill former Speaker Hortman’s leadership role, former Speaker Hortman’s constituents went to the polls to elect her replacement to the Minnesota House. DFL candidate Xp Lee defeated GOP candidate Ruth Bittner and will be sworn in to serve the remainder of term. Representative-elect Lee’s victory will bring the Minnesota House back to a 67-67 tie for

the remainder of the biennium.

Lastly, after a summer of speculation about his political future, Minnesota’s two-term Democratic Gov. Tim Walz officially announced his bid to seek an unprecedented third consecutive term as Governor. After waiting longer to announce his reelection bid than many expected, there had been a great deal of jockeying of potential DFL gubernatorial candidates preparing to launch potential bids. His reelection announcement should put that positioning to rest and help cement the fields for all other offices that will be on the ballot in November 2026.

Special Session Still a Topic of Discussion

Gov. Walz has been meeting with legislative leaders to discuss the possibility of a special session to address gun violence. The Governor has outlined a series of proposals, including a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, a safe storage law, requiring gun owners to have liability insurance and a stricter red flag law. Meanwhile, Republican leadership has advocated to focus on increasing security and mental health services, including proposals to allow taxpayer money for security for private schools, funds to support school resource officers in all schools, increased funding for mental health services and limitations on the provision of certain gender-affirming care.

While only the Governor has the authority to call a special session, once the legislature is in session, only the legislators can choose if/when to adjourn and what issues they decide to take up. Customarily, the Governor and all four legislative leaders reach a signed agreement about the parameters of the session prior to the Governor formally setting a date. However, with an agreement on such a contentious issue unlikely, it could get complicated because the evenly-divided legislature means no one party has enough votes in either chamber to pass its own proposals. Whether or not the Governor calls a special session remains to be seen, but if so it is likely to impact how lawmakers work together when we come back for the 2026 legislative session.