Court ruling could tip majority to Republicans in Minnesota House, with Democrat not living in district

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota House Republicans could start the 2025 legislative session in the majority after a judge ruled last week that a Democratic candidate didn’t meet the residency requirements for his suburban district.

Ramsey County Judge Leonardo Castro ruled that Curtis Johnson didn’t live in the Roseville-area district for the required six months ahead of the election and is therefore ineligible to serve, Minnesota Public Radio reported. House Democrats said they would immediately appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Legislative leaders from both parties have been proceeding under the assumption that the House would be tied 67-67 when the Legislature convenes Jan. 14, and they’ve been working out a power-sharing agreement. If Johnson is ultimately barred from taking office, Republicans would have a 67-66 majority until a special election could be held in the Democratic-leaning district.

A pending court challenge in a different suburban district could also affect the balance of power in the House. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Brad Tabke, of Shakopee, was declared the winner by 14 votes over Republican Aaron Paul despite 20 missing ballots that were accepted but never counted and then apparently thrown away. At a hearing this week, his attorneys presented six of those affected voters who testified that they supported Tabke, which would be enough to preserve his win. A judge is expected to decide within the next few weeks how to proceed.

Democrats have a one-vote majority in the state Senate. So regardless of the outcome in the disputed House races, Minnesota will be returning to some degree of divided government in 2025 after two years of full Democratic control. Minnesota will also be one of the few states with a divided legislature next year.

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 the apartment he claimed as his residence.

“The credibility of Mr. Johnson’s testimony about his physical presence in the apartment was significantly undermined by his demeanor, the photos and videos presented by the contestant and his own reluctance to commit to any more than minimal, vague amounts of time spent at the apartment,” Castro wrote.

“This is a clear reminder that laws matter, and integrity in the election process is non-negotiable,” House Republican leader Lisa Demuth, of Cold Spring, said in a statement.

But current House Speaker Melissa Hortman, of Brooklyn Park, said Johnson had a convincing win by 7,503 votes and that it should stand.

“The court erred as a matter of law in not dismissing this case,” Hortman said in a statement.

Hortman also disputed comments that Demuth, the GOP nominee to be speaker, made on WCCO Radio on Friday when she said Republicans will have sole control of the House.

“Speaker-designate Demuth is wrong,” Hortman said. “We expect to have a tied House when we start session on January 14.”