The 2025 session of the Minnesota Legislature will be historic in almost every way you can think of. Both the House and Senate are so closely divided that neither Republicans nor Democrats will have true control of either chamber when the session starts.

One DFL Senate seat needs to be filled after the cancer death of Kari Dziedzic. That temporarily ends the DFL majority as it means the Senate is now tied 33-33 until a special election on Jan. 28.

Another DFL senator, Nicole Mitchell of Woodbury, goes on trial on a felony burglary charge on Jan. 27 and the result could put her seat in jeopardy.

Over in the House, a judge ruled DFL candidate Curtis Johson, who was elected in November, cannot take office because he didn’t live in his district as required by law. So until a special election for that seat on Jan. 28, Republicans have a 67-66 advantage.

“We find ourselves in a temporary tie because of the loss of our beloved colleague Kari Dziedzic and we know Kari was well-respected,” says DFL Sen. Majority Leader Erin Murphy. “We are engaged in some good faith conversation with Mark Johnson and some of my Republican colleagues because we want to start, we want to get going, we want a framework.”

Republican Minority Leader Mark Johnson says he hopes they can reach a temporary working arrangement. “If we don’t reach an agreement, then it’s just the wild west,” he told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on Thursday. “We’ve been in negotiations with Senate Democrats and it’s been progressing. I think we’re going to get to a good point, but we haven’t reached a deal yet.”

Democrats are likely to regain a 34-33 majority after the special election in Minneapolis for Dziedzic’s seat, where a Democrat is all but certain to win.

Complicating the situation is the burglary trial of Mitchell in Detroit Lakes. If that trial goes ahead on Jan. 27 as planned, she will not be able to participate in Senate proceedings on a remote basis.

“She’s going to come to work as she has and if she’s in trial I don’t think she can participate in a floor session,” Murphy tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. “If there’s a floor session happening at the same times as their trial, she can’t vote from the trial. She’s gotta pay attention to that.”

Johnson says his view of Mitchell’s role has not changed since last session. “Sen. Mitchell should not be voting on the Minnesota Senate floor. Clearly there are issues she should be prioritizing within her own life.”

Eventually, the two sides hope to return to focusing on issues in what will likely be a contentious budget session.

“First and foremost we have to balance the budget equitably with the people of Minnesota in mind,” Murphy says, with a focus on gains she says Democrats made in recent sessions. “Things like the child tax credit. Universal school meals. Free college tuition for families making less than $80,000. Those are important provisions that put real money in people’s pockets.”

Johnson says Republicans will focus on reining in the size and cost of state government.

“The priority of Minnesota Senate Republicans is and always has been Minnesotans,” he says. “We have seen really for the last two years during the Democrat trifecta a turn away, a prioritization of state government.”

Both sides say eliminating fraud in government spending will also be a priority. “That fraud has been going on for six years,” says Johnson. “We’ve been crying out, we need to make sure that we stop that so we can take that money and prioritize Minnesotans.”

The two leaders agree they have to find a way to reach a compromise in what will likely be a compressed session because of the questions surrounding who is in charge of each chamber.

“I think the message Minnesotans were sending is work together,” Johnson says. “Figure out how to get this done in a bipartisan manner.”

Murphy says special sessions and a government shutdown need to be avoided. “I’ve experienced a government shutdown,” she says. “It did nothing but hurt people. It didn’t really resolve a political dispute. We ended up back in the same space and still had to balance the budget.”

The session of uncertainty begins Tuesday at noon.