GOP's Seifert, DFLer Kelliher analyze election results
In a night where Republicans saw big wins at the national level, their sole bright spot in Minnesota came in the Minnesota House, where they wrestled the majority from Democrats.
• Election 2014: Local, statewide and national results | Coverage of key races | Photos from around Minnesota
Former DFL House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher and former Republican House Minority Leader Marty Seifert spoke with MPR's Cathy Wurzer about the changeover on Wednesday morning.
Many of the DFL losses came in rural areas of the state. In recent years, DFLers passed a number of controversial initiatives like legalizing same-sex marriage and increasing taxes on the rich. Kelliher said the DFL's "bold agenda...may have in some cases soured a few constituents."
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Seifert said recent legislation passed under DFL control could have contributed to their losses in rural parts of the state, but that it didn't alone account for the Republican victory in the House.
"There were situations where people felt there needed to be balance," Seifert said. "That was the message Republicans said loud and clear, that we don't want single party control."
Both Kelliher and Seifert pointed to outside spending as a factor in the House races, although the totals spent in the House races may not be known for quite a while.
It was a dismal showing for Republicans at the state level. They lost contests for the governor's office, Senate and all state constitutional offices. Seifert said that puts a special burden on House Republicans when they elect the Speaker later this week, who will essentially become the highest ranking Republican office holder in the state.
Kelliher said current Republican House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt has a good temperament to work with the DFL governor and state Senate if he's elected House Speaker.
"The real challenge is going to be in governing, and not the sort of things like we've seen in the past, like government shutdowns," Kelliher said. "That would not serve him well."
The Minnesota Legislature is scheduled to convene on Jan. 6, 2015.
MPR News reporter Jon Collins contributed to this story.