Longtime Iron Range legislator Tom Bakk announces retirement

Minnesota Sen. Tom Bakk, once a powerful Iron Range DFLer who in recent years split from his party, has announced he will retire at the end of the year.

Bakk, now an Independent from Cook, is in his sixth Senate term and chairs the Capital Investment Committee. His retirement opens up the Senate District 3 seat representing Koochiching, St. Louis, Lake and Cook counties at a time when Democrats are struggling to keep their footing outstate.

Bakk said representing the region "has been one of the greatest rewards of my life."

"I have always tried to do my best for the people I've served even if it was not always easy or popular with my own political party," he said in a statement. "The friendships and the memories I have made will carry with me forever."

Before his election to the Senate in 2002, Bakk served four terms in the state House of Representatives. As a senator, he led the DFL caucus for nearly a decade, and ran for governor as a Democrat in 2010.

In 2020, with Republicans in control of the Senate, Bakk and Sen. David Tomassoni of Chisholm opted to split from the DFL and form an Independent caucus. Both cited a distaste for growing partisanship and the chance to chair committees.

"Senator Bakk has been a fixture of the Legislature, he has a strong legacy of representing the Iron Range, he's become a close friend to many of us here in the Legislature, including me," Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller, R-Winona, said at the Capitol on Thursday. "We're going to miss him. He still has work to do though. He's still working on a bonding bill."

Senate Minority Leader Melisa López Franzen, DFL-Edina, noted in a statement Bakk's legislative accomplishments on tax reform, education, jobs and the state budget, as well as his advocacy for renovating the state Capitol.

"In his 28 years serving Northeastern Minnesota, Sen. Bakk has been a strong voice not only for his constituents, but for people across the state on the issues he cared deeply about and that Minnesotans cared deeply about," she said. "His decades of work have left a positive legacy for people across Minnesota, who always knew where he stood on issues and supported him for decades."

Bakk is the 29th legislator so far to announce plans to retire at the end of session, according to the Legislative Reference Library. Another seven are seeking elected office outside the Legislature.

A former union negotiator, Bakk lives on Lake Vermilion with his wife, Laura. He has four children and eight grandchildren.

"Laura and I are looking forward to the next chapter of our lives," he said. "It's with excitement that we journey into the future of more soccer, basketball, baseball, volleyball, football and hockey, enjoying more time to help and watch our grandchildren learn and grow."

Staff writer Briana Bierschbach contributed to this report.