Minn. House GOP picks Daudt as minority leader
After two rounds of voting, the Minnesota House Republican caucus has elected state Rep. Kurt Daudt as minority leader.
Four candidates vied for the position. Daudt was elected in 2010 to represent District 17A, which is about 50 miles north of the Twin Cities.
"I literally do look forward to working with the DFL," Daudt said. "They have offered an olive branch and have stated that they're willing to work with us in a bipartisan fashion. And we want to take them up on that. We know that the people of Minnesota don't want division and delays and all of those things. They really want us to get to work, and we're committed to doing that."
Daudt said that if Democrats do not live up to their promise, Republicans plan to hold them accountable and offer a clear message that shows they are committed to creating jobs and rebuilding the economy.
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Daudt noted that his election came after Republicans lost their majority status this week when DFLers won both chambers of the Legislature.
"Obviously, there's been an odd turn of events in the last week, and I don't know that anybody saw that coming," he said. "The previous leadership decided they did not want to run for election. Obviously, I had an interest in being part of the team and wanting to move forward."
Republicans in the Minnesota Senate selected Sen. David Hann of Eden Prairie as their new minority leader on Friday.
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