CHANHASSEN, Minn. – Before trick-or-treaters arrived in Chanhassen and Chaska on Thursday, two other people knocked on the door asking not for candy, but for votes.
DFL Rep. Lucy Rehm and GOP challenger Caleb Steffenhagen are in the final sprint to the finish line, trying to drum up as much support as possible in this part of the state. Rehm is seeking her second term, and Steffenhagen – a political newcomer – wants to dethrone her and help Republicans regain a majority in the State House.
All This fall, 134 seats in the Chamber are scheduled to be filled. But only a dozen — like District 48B, which covers all of Chanhassen and parts of Chaska — are competitive. About half of those are in the Twin Cities metro.
Local races like these don’t make headlines, but the outcome affects school funding, taxes, health care and social services, and much more. Control of the state legislature is at stake and voters in these battlegrounds will decide whether total DFL control of state government should remain or disappear.
“It’s a very important race, I think, in our region because they know that the person you send to the capital really impacts your community and the way the schools are run and how you live your life,” said Rehm.
The first-term Democrat highlights investing in education, making health care affordable and fighting climate change as her top three issues, as well as protecting abortion rights, which the Democrats quickly did when they took control of the House of Representatives, the Senate and the governor’s office in 2022. Rehm also said she is meeting with Republicans dissatisfied with the party under former President Donald Trump who are willing to vote for her and other Democrats.
The Democrats have 70 seats and the Republicans 64. The Republican Party only needs to flip four to take back the gavel. Leaders in both caucuses exuded confidence in a recent WCCO interview.
Steffenhagen, a teacher and member of the National Guard, is concerned about high taxes and lagging test scores among students. He condemned Democrats’ record spending and said he hopes voters will then want to end the trifecta two years of progressive policies are the victories.
“I hear it at the door every day. People want a divided government. They want someone who doesn’t just subvert party lines,” he said. “And that was promised in 2022, and instead it was one party, one control, one voting style.”
The campaign committees of both Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives boast fundraising records this cycle, but the DFL has a significant financial advantage.
A September Minnesota Star Tribune poll found a nearly even split of opinion, with 49% saying they approve of the way Governor Tim Walz and Democrats have governed the Legislature since regaining the Senate in 2022 And 47% say they disapprove.
Lawmakers in the Senate are not up for re-election this fall; they serve a four-year term. There is one special election for the seat left vacant by DFL Sen. Kelly Morrison, who resigned to run for Congress.
If Republicans prevail in that race, it would tilt the balance of power in their favor. Democrats only had a one-seat majority before Morrison resigned.
Caroline Cummings
