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  • Legislative Retirements - Previous

    • Legislative Retirements

    Compiled by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library

    2017-2018

    Legislative retirements at the end of the 2017-2018 biennium.

    LEGISLATOR BODY PARTY DISTRICT NOTES
    Susan Allen House DFL 62B MinnPost - 12/8/2017
    Jon Applebaum House DFL 44B Session Daily - 2/16/2018
    David Bly House DFL 20B Northfield News - 2/5/2018
    Karen Clark House DFL 62A MinnPost - 12/8/2017
    Matt Dean House R 38B Minnesota Public Radio - 1/25/2018
    Joe Hoppe House R 47B Chaska Herald - 6/1/2018
    Clark Johnson House DFL 19A Mankato Free Press - 1/8/2018
    Sheldon Johnson House DFL 67B Pioneer Press - 11/17/2017
    Linda Slocum House DFL 50A Session Daily - 5/3/2018
    Mark Uglem House R 36A Star Tribune - 2/8/2018
    JoAnn Ward House DFL 53A Session Daily - 1/17/2018
    Abigail Whelan House R 35A ABC Newspapers - 11/22/2017

    Legislative vacancies during the 2017-2018 biennium

    LEGISLATOR BODY PARTY DISTRICT NOTES
    Tony Cornish House R 23B He resigned effective 11/30/17. Mankato Free Press - 11/21/2017
    Michelle Fischbach Senate R 13 She resigned from the Minnesota Legislature on 5/25/2018 and took the oath of office for lieutenant governor on the same day. As the last elected presiding officer of the Senate, Senator Fischbach ascended to the position of lieutenant governor when Lt. Governor Tina Smith resigned on 1/2/2018 to become a United States senator. She filed to run as lieutenant governor on 6/5/2018.
    Tony Lourey Senate DFL 11 He resigned on January 3, 2019, just a few days shy of the end of the 2017-2018 biennium.
    Joyce Peppin House R 34A She resigned from the legislature effective 7/2/2018. She had announced her intention to retire from the legislature on 5/30/2018.
    Paul Rosenthal House DFL 49B He resigned from the legislature effective 9/5/2018. He had announced his intention to retire from the legislature on 6/6/2018.
    Paul Thissen House DFL 61B He was appointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court and resigned from the legislature effective 4/20/2018. He had announced his intention to retire from the legislature on 1/3/2018.
    Dan Schoen Senate DFL 54 He resigned effective 12/15/17. Star Tribune - 11/21/2017

    Current House member seeking Senate seat in 2018

    LEGISLATOR BODY PARTY DISTRICT NOTES
    Jeff Howe House R 13A Filed to run in Senate District 13.

    Current House members seeking higher office in 2018

    LEGISLATOR BODY PARTY DISTRICT NOTES
    Peggy Flanagan House DFL 46A Filed to run as lieutenant governor. She gave a House floor retirement speech on 5/20/2018.
    Debra Hilstrom House DFL 40B Filed to run as attorney general. She lost the primary.
    Erin Maye Quade House DFL 57A Filed to run as lieutenant governor. She lost the primary.
    Jason Metsa House DFL 6B Filed to run in the 8th U.S. Congressional District. He lost the primary.
    Erin Murphy House DFL 64A Filed to run as governor. She lost the primary.
    Jim Newberger House R 15B Filed to run for U.S. Senate. He gave a House floor retirement speech on 5/20/2018.
    Ilhan Omar House DFL 60B Filed to run in the 5th U.S. Congressional District.

    Current House member defeated in the 2018 primary election

    LEGISLATOR BODY PARTY DISTRICT NOTES
    Bob Loonan House Republican 55A

    Current House member suspending campaign in 2018

    LEGISLATOR BODY PARTY DISTRICT NOTES
    Jim Knoblach House R 14B Minnesota Public Radio - 9/21/2018

    Current Senate members seeking higher office in 2018

    LEGISLATOR BODY PARTY DISTRICT NOTES
    Bobby Joe Champion Senate DFL 59 Filed to run in the 5th U.S. Congressional District. He suspended his campaign on 6/11/2018 and will remain in the Senate.
    Karin Housley Senate R 39 Filed to run for U.S. Senate.
    Carla Nelson Senate R 26 Filed to run in the 1st U.S. Congressional District. She lost the primary and will remain in the Senate.
    Patricia Torres Ray Senate DFL 63 Filed to run in the 5th U.S. Congressional District. She lost the primary and will remain in the Senate.

    2015-2016

    Legislative retirements at the end of the 2015-2016 biennium. See current biennium.

    LEGISLATOR BODY PARTY DISTRICT NOTES
    Mark Anderson House Republican 9A Pioneer Press - 2/16/2016
    Joe Atkins House DFL 52B Pioneer Press - 1/26/2016
    Dave Brown Senate Republican 15 St. Cloud Times - 5/18/2015
    Barb Goodwin Senate DFL 41 Star Tribune - 11/13/2015
    Dave Hancock House Republican 2A Pioneer Press - 3/18/2016
    Alice Johnson Senate DFL 37 Twitter - 4/6/2016
    Tim Kelly House Republican 21A Red Wing Republican Eagle - 2/17/2016
    Tara Mack House Republican 57A Pioneer Press 4/3/2016
    Denny McNamara House Republican 54B South Washington County Bulletin - 6/1/2016
    Carly Melin House DFL 6A MinnPost - 1/14/2016
    James Metzen Senate DFL 52 Star Tribune - 1/23/2016
    Kim Norton House DFL 25B MPR - 9/10/2015
    Julianne Ortman Senate Republican 47 Pioneer Press - 5/13/2015
    John Pederson Senate Republican 14 St. Cloud Times - 1/8/2016
    Roger Reinert Senate DFL 7 Pioneer Press - 1/4/2016
    Tim Sanders House Republican 37B Pioneer Press - 2/26/2016
    Bev Scalze Senate DFL 42 Star Tribune - 12/9/2015
    Yvonne Selcer House DFL 48A Pioneer Press 4/8/2016
    Kathy Sheran Senate DFL 19 Pioneer Press Blog - 12/28/2015
    Katie Sieben Senate DFL 54 Star Tribune - 2/2/2016
    LeRoy Stumpf Senate DFL 1 Senate DFL Caucus - 2/24/2016
    Dave Thompson Senate Republican 58 Star Tribune - 1/5/2016

    Special circumstances

    LEGISLATOR BODY PARTY DISTRICT NOTES
    Bob Barrett House Republican 32B The Supreme Court ruled on September 8, 2016 that Rep. Bob Barrett was ineligible to run in the November election because he did not reside in his district.  Minnesota Statute 204B.13 prescribes a February special election under these circumstances.

    Defeated in the primary election in 2016

    LEGISLATOR BODY PARTY DISTRICT NOTES
    Tom Hackbarth House Republican 31B
    Phyllis Kahn House DFL 60B
    Joe Mullery House DFL 59A
    Sean Nienow Senate Republican 32

    Current House members seeking Senate seat in 2016

    LEGISLATOR BODY PARTY DISTRICT NOTES
    Jason Isaacson House DFL 42B Filed to run in Senate District 42.
    Carolyn Laine House DFL 41B Filed to run in Senate District 41.
    Jerry Newton House DFL 37A Filed to run in Senate District 37.
    Dan Schoen House DFL 54A Filed to run in Senate District 54.
    Erik Simonson House DFL 7B Filed to run in Senate District 7.

    Current Senate members seeking higher office in 2016

    LEGISLATOR BODY PARTY DISTRICT NOTES
    Terri Bonoff Senate DFL 44 Filed to run in the 3rd U.S. Congressional district.

    Legislative vacancies during the 2015-2016 biennium

    LEGISLATOR BODY PARTY DISTRICT NOTES
    David Dill House DFL 3A Died on 8/8/2015. Special election on 12/8/2015 was won by Rob Ecklund.
    Ann Lenczewski House DFL 50B Resigned effective 12/15/2015. Special election on 2/9/2016 was won by Chad Anderson.
    Branden Petersen Senate Republican 35 Resigned effective 10/31/2015. Special election on 2/9/2016 was won by Jim Abeler.
    Ryan Winkler House DFL 46A Resigned effective 7/1/2015. Special election on 11/4/2016 was won by Peggy Flanagan.