Special session or not? MN lawmaker re-elections could hinge on answer

Gov. Mark Dayton and top legislative leaders are scheduled to meet Wednesday to talk more about a potential special session to pass tax and public works bills.

If they can't reach an agreement, those unresolved issues could loom large in this year's Minnesota House and Senate races. All 201 legislative seats are on the ballot, and incumbents still don't know how many accomplishments they'll be able to tout to voters in their home districts.

Lawmakers adjourned the 2016 regular session last month without transportation funding or public works legislation. They later lost a popular package of tax cuts when Dayton vetoed the bill over a potentially expensive error.

Many legislators, especially those running for re-election in competitive districts, aren't satisfied with where things currently stand.

"It's not going to be easy to go back into an election year knowing that you were part of a process that wasn't very good," said first-term Rep. Dave Baker.

Baker, R-Willmar, is among those hoping for a special session. He's counting on a package of public construction projects that includes funding for Minnesota Highway 23 upgrades and other projects important to his district.

Baker's re-election bid is a rematch of the 2014 race when he defeated DFL incumbent Rep. Mary Sawatzky. But with the prospect of more legislative work looming, Baker said he has not yet switched into campaign mode.

"I am not going to knock on a single door to tell them what we did or didn't do, because I don't really think I'm done yet," Baker said. "I still think the session is active. I want to be able to go to the doors when I know the work is actually done."

The story is similar for Sen. Lyle Koenen, DFL-Clara City, who is also facing a potentially competitive contest in November. Koenen is hoping for a special session, and he knows there's no escaping voters if one doesn't happen.

"This is the election year. We're going to campaign no matter what," he said. "My message can just be that I'm willing to compromise and that's all I can do. I have one vote, and I'm willing to vote for a compromise."

Koenen said he's been in four parades this summer, and so far, the comments have been positive. He said he takes that as a good sign.

Rep. Jim Knoblach, R-St. Cloud, has been knocking on doors to make his pitch for re-election. He's also in a rematch against the DFL incumbent he defeated in 2014. Knoblach, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, said he has an answer ready when constituents complain about the way the regular session ended.

"There were four big finance bills this year, and the one that I was the author of was the only one that actually passed both houses, was signed by the governor and became law," he said. "So, the bill that I was most responsible for did come through and did happen."

Knoblach said he's open to a special session but doesn't believe one is absolutely necessary.

He said he's concerned about Dayton's long list of demands for calling a special session, including funding for metro light rail. House Republicans oppose the provision, while Senate Democrats insist on its inclusion.

Sen. Matt Schmit, DFL-Red Wing, said a lot of work went into the tax bill and bonding bill and it would be a shame not to try to resolve them in a special session. Voters, though, seem to understand the difficulty of reaching a deal, he added.

Schmit said he's running on the accomplishments of four years in office, including efforts to stabilize the state budget. He said he doesn't want any "politically convenient" decisions for a special session to jeopardize that stability.

"People I've been talking too would really like us to go back in there and try to hammer out an agreement," Schmit said. "If an agreement can't be made, I think folks understand that divided or shared government as we have it, where power is shared between Democrats and Republicans, is not easy."