The Minnesota Republican Party has vowed to pursue the constitutional impeachment of any Democratic lawmakers who refuse to appear on the first day of the state legislature’s session on Monday.
Democrats have threatened to boycott the first two weeks of the session in an effort to block Republicans from taking advantage of a narrow and temporary majority in the state legislature. Minnesota GOP Speaker Alex Plechash argued at a news conference Monday that deliberately skipping work would expose Democratic lawmakers to impeachment efforts.
“The citizens of Minnesota expect one thing from their elected officials: to show up and do the job they were sent here to do. That’s a basic duty, not a special request,” Plechash said, speaking in Minnesota’s capital.
Republicans currently hold a 67-66 majority in the state House and could use that majority to set legislative rules for the next two years when the session begins Tuesday. However, their advantage is likely to be temporary, as a special election in the Democratic district is scheduled for January 28. The district’s previous Democratic representative, Curtis Johnson, won election in November, but was later disqualified after the courts found that he was not a resident of the district.
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Minnesota Republicans and Democrats are at odds during the first weeks of the state legislature’s session. (John Autey / MediaNews Group / St. Paul Pioneer Press via Getty Images)
Republicans will therefore enjoy most of at least two weeks between the start of the session on Tuesday and special elections in late January. Republicans are also running to re-elect another Democrat, Rep. Brad Tabke, who won re-election by 14 votes after county election officials lost 20 absentee ballots in one precinct.
“We’re in favor of holding every lawmaker accountable. If you don’t show up for work, you shouldn’t keep it,” Plechash said.
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GOP attorney Ryan Wilson says Minnesota law requires a recall petition to get at least 25 signatures from voters in a given district. Once received, the petition is sent to Supreme Court of Minnesota to determine whether the reason for revocation meets legal standards.
Minnesota Democrats, led by Governor Tim Walz, are trying to topple a slim Republican majority. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Wilson said the GOP will base its impeachment claims on “inaction,” or failure to take an action required by law.
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If the State Supreme Court approves that reasoning, the petition would then need to be signed by at least 25% of the number of voters in the district who voted in the November election. If it crosses that threshold, the district would then hold a recall vote.
“We’ve never had a situation like this in the history of the Legislature, where 66 members of the caucus are unwilling to come to work,” Wilson said.
House Speaker Melissa Hortman leads a session of the Minnesota State Legislature at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul. (Getty Images)
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Republican state Rep. Pam Altendorf argued that Democrats are only at a disadvantage “because of cheating.” She added that deputies “behave like losers and don’t come to work.”
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
