The Minnesota Senate is getting a leadership shake-up headed into a key election year.
GOP Majority Leader Paul Gazelka and DFL Minority Leader Susan Kent both announced last week they are stepping down from the posts. Senators will vote over the next couple of weeks on their replacements, who will serve as key negotiators at the State Capitol and caucus leaders through the 2022 election when all 201 legislative seats are on the ballot.
Many names have been floated as potential candidates, but few senators have formally announced whether they are running for the leadership jobs.
Gazelka, of East Gull Lake, spent five years as GOP caucus leader and said Wednesday he is stepping aside as he considers a run for governor. Sen. Mark Johnson, of East Grand Forks, will fill in as interim leader until the caucus can elect a permanent replacement. Senate GOP spokeswoman Rachel Aplikowski said the election will be held by the end of this week.
Kent's announcement came Thursday, when the minority leader from Woodbury said she will retire at the end of her term next year to focus more on her family after a decade serving in the Senate.
"I have also decided to step down as Senate DFL leader to give the new leader the time they'll need to continue fighting for the shared values we all hold dear," Kent said in a statement.
Senate DFL members meet Sept. 13 to pick their next leader.
Kent ousted former DFL Minority Leader Tom Bakk in February 2020. Bakk, of Cook, has since shifted parties and has been serving as an Independent in the Senate, often voting with GOP members on key issues over the past year. He is one of several people who have been suggested as a potential candidate for Republican majority leader, along with Johnson and Senate President Jeremy Miller, of Winona.
Sen. John Jasinski, R-Faribault, said he thought about running for the job but decided that with five years of experience he will defer to those who have served longer. With a critical election coming up in 2022, he said, "I want the most qualified person in our caucus to have that position going into a big election like that."
In the DFL caucus, North Mankato Sen. Nick Frentz, Minneapolis Sen. Scott Dibble and Edina Sen. Melisa Franzen have all confirmed that they are seeking the minority leader post.
"This morning, I'm making it official. I am running for Minority Leader of the Senate DFL Caucus. I look forward to making the case to lead our caucus, and to ensure we win a DFL Senate Majority in 2022. Let's get to work," Franzen tweeted Friday.
DFL Sen. Erin Murphy, who previously served as House majority leader and ran for governor in 2018, has also been suggested as a potential candidate.
Kent was the first woman to lead the Senate DFL, and she has faced recent criticism over how she handled a sexual harassment complaint against her former campaign manager.
