AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
For nearly a month, Democrats in Minnesota's House of Representatives boycotted the state capitol over a power disagreement with the Republicans. The GOP carried on without them, but none of it counted. Now party leaders have struck a deal, bringing Democrats back to the state house. Minnesota Public Radio's Clay Masters reports on how it played out.
CLAY MASTERS, BYLINE: For days on end, the Minnesota capitol felt like that movie "Groundhog Day," you know, where Bill Murray keeps living the same day over and over.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
STEVE SIMON: A quorum is not present. The House is adjourned until 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, January 28, 2025.
(SOUNDBITE OF GAVEL BANGING)
MASTERS: That's Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon. Day after day, he'd come into the chamber, count the members present and find they're one person short of being able to do business.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SIMON: The House will adjourn until 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 29, 2025.
(SOUNDBITE OF GAVEL BANGING)
MASTERS: This loop all started because voters here elected a tied House of Representatives in November, breaking up full Democratic control of state government. House leaders of the two major parties started to figure out how to share power. That is, until a judge ruled one of the Democratic winners was ineligible to take his seat because he did not properly live in the district he planned to represent. That gave Republicans a one-seat edge, and they decided to ignore the secretary of state. So Democrats stayed away, keeping Republicans from doing official business.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TIM WALZ: Hi. Nice to see you guys.
(CROSSTALK)
WALZ: Nice to see you guys. What are we making, Play-Doh?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yeah, Play-Doh.
WALZ: Teachers, thank you.
MASTERS: The state's Democratic governor and former vice presidential candidate, Tim Walz, is also spending some time away from the Capitol. He's been popping into places like this Head Start Center to highlight the Trump administration's efforts to reduce federal grants. Walz stayed out of negotiations in the House but had something to say about it.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
WALZ: This is clearly an opportunity being taken by Republicans to try and seize power for a short period of time not in the interest of Minnesotans.
MASTERS: The State Supreme Court stepped in to say what Republicans were doing on the House floor didn't count. Then late last week, House leaders finally struck a deal, and Democrats showed up. Republicans, like Representative Jeff Backer, were happy to see all their colleagues.
JEFF BACKER: I'm not here to poke them in their eye. We're moving forward now. They're showing up for work. Great. We got a lot of work to do.
MASTERS: The deal gives the Republican leader, Lisa Demuth, the speakership for two years, with some conditions on that authority. Republicans agreed to seat a Democratic lawmaker, despite questions about his narrow win. And there was a bit of levity the morning of the House reboot when Demuth was asked if she was going to give the same speech she'd already delivered last month.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
LISA DEMUTH: Do you want me to? Did you like it (laughter)? I will have just a short and condensed - 'cause I would like to address the entire full body.
MASTERS: Her speech was pretty similar. She says, the close tally will give members a unique opportunity to work together. And she gave a subtle nod to being the first woman of color in this role.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
DEMUTH: The significance of this great honor doesn't escape me. Today is a testament to the progress and the possibilities of our great state.
MASTERS: The State Republican Party still plans to recall some of the Democrats who boycotted. Asked if that concerns her, the leader who lost the speakers gavel, Democrat Melissa Hortman, says the GOP tactics should also be questioned.
MELISSA HORTMAN: Republicans unconstitutionally and illegitimately seizing power and playing house for two weeks is also something that should concern voters.
MASTERS: But with the loop broken, state lawmakers in Minnesota will be making up for lost time as they work to approve a budget this spring. For NPR News, I'm Clay Masters in St. Paul.
(SOUNDBITE OF GUTS SONG, "METIS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.