A special election for a Minnesota House seat on Tuesday will determine who represents an east-metro suburban district and possibly alter the balance of power at the Capitol.
If Democrat David Gottfried win the reliably blue District 40B seat, which covers Roseville, Shoreview, Mounds View, Falcon Heights and other communities, the House will be tied 67-67. A win by Republican Paul Wikstrom would give the House GOP a 68-66 majority.
Regardless of the result of the [election](https://www.sos.state.mn.us/election-administration-campaigns/elections-calendar/house-district-40b-special-election/), Hamline University political science Professor David Schultz said he expects partisan gridlock at the Capitol to continue. Everything will be subject to bipartisan negotiation if the House is brought to a tie, as 68 votes are needed to pass bills. And if Republicans win a majority, deals would still need to be made with the DFL-led Senate.
“Major bills such as the budget will be difficult compromises within the House and then with the Senate and the governor,” Schultz said.
The initial winner of the District 40B seat was DFLer Curtis Johnson. But a judge later found Johnson ineligible to serve because he failed to meet the state’s residency requirement, ultimately prompting Tuesday’s special election between Gottfried and Wikstrom.
The legal ruling temporarily shifted a 67-67 split in the chamber to a 67-66 advantage for Republicans, who abandoned power-sharing negotiations with Democrats and attempted to take control of the chamber and committees when the legislative session began in January.
Democrats [boycotted the session](https://www.startribune.com/as-bad-as-ive-ever-seen-it-partisan-dysfunction-worsens-in-minnesota-legislature/601204545) for three weeks to prevent Republicans from getting a quorum, the number of members needed to conduct business. In January, the state Supreme Court confirmed that 68 votes are needed to do any business in the House.
Gottfried, a Shoreview resident who grew up in Roseville, said in an email to the Star Tribune last month that he’s running because he sees “a need for governance that centers shared values and practical policy.”