Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Chair Michelle Benson has announced her bid for governor in 2022. Benson is an accountant and fourth-term senator from Ham Lake.
“I am an unwavering conservative fighter who will prioritize public safety, empower parents in education, and lead an opportunity economy,” said Benson in a news release.
On the same day and just prior to Sen. Benson’s official announcement, Majority Leader Paul Gazelka announced that he is stepping down from his leadership post, signaling that he would also be running for governor. Not long after that, he announced his own bid.
Sen. Gazelka is the former Senate Majority leader and, like Sen. Benson, is also currently serving in his fourth term. Prior to that, he served in the MN House for one term. He owns and operates an insurance agency and lives in East Gull Lake.
"'Can I do a better job than Governor Walz did?' And I think what I would say is I think people will be looking for a change,” says Gazelka.
Legislative Leadership Changes
Senator Gazelka’s exit as Majority Leader isn’t the only recent leadership change at the Legislature. Senate Minority Leader Susan Kent has both stepped down from her leadership role and announced that she will retire from the Senate after this term.
This week, Senate Republicans elected Sen. Jeremy Miller as the new Majority Leader. Sen. Miller was formerly the President of the Senate. The Senate DFL will hold a caucus to elect their new leader on Sept. 13.
Over in the House, Majority Leader Ryan Winkler has said that he is “strongly considering” running for Hennepin County Attorney in 2022. He has not yet made any official public decision.
September Special Session (?)
Due to a couple of factors, the likelihood of a September special session is now a “maybe.” For one, there is still a leadership gap in the Senate DFL, which would make it difficult for the caucus to participate in talks leading into any negotiations. Another element is that Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm’s confirmation might be up for discussion, which can only occur when the Legislature is in session. The third is that the Frontline Worker Pay working group never hit their deadline.
Sept. 6 was the deadline for the working group to decide how and to whom $250 million will be split in the form of bonuses for selected frontline industries. The legislation that will house the language for the bonuses must be passed in session. So, without an agreement and bill, there is no rush to go into session.
State Fair Opinion Poll Results
The results are in for the annual Minnesota House State Fair opinion poll, which is run by the nonpartisan House Information department. The poll was taken 5,231 times, versus 11,239 times during the last Minnesota State Fair in 2019.
Poll takers were completely split on the legalization of gambling on professional and collegiate sports and had a resounding “no” to allowing people without proof of legal residence in the state to be allowed to obtain a driver's license or ID card. The poll results also showed support for allowing the Legislature to have more power in an extended peacetime emergency scenario and for mandating masks for children in schools.
Full poll results can be found on the MN House Info website.
They Said It...
“There are younger people coming in and I’m starting to realize I’m becoming a curmudgeon.” – Sen. Jerry Newton, DFL - Coon Rapids, on his retirement from the Senate in 2022
