Minnesota Senate Democrats choose Kari Dziedzic of Minneapolis as new majority leader

The new Senate DFL caucus selected a Twin Cities-centric leadership team Thursday, choosing Minneapolis Sen. Kari Dziedzic for the post of majority leader.

"We are here to show we are ready to lead," said Dziedzic, who has been in the Senate since 2012. She said she takes the role seriously and "with great dedication to my state and colleagues."

As majority leader, Dziedic will be responsible for setting and shepherding the Senate Democrats' agenda, with the party holding a margin of just one vote over the GOP.

The announcement came after the caucus met behind closed doors at the Carpenters Local Union 322 in St. Paul, a couple of miles from the Capitol. Neither the vote nor the nature of the deliberations were made public so it wasn't immediately known whether others sought the positions.

Dziedzic's selection was a surprise to some observers. Sen. Erin Murphy of St. Paul had been considered a favorite to run the caucus because she led the campaigns that steered the DFL back to the majority. Murphy didn't speak at the news conference.

Since taking over the Senate in one of the biggest surprises of Tuesday's election, the DFL has heralded its 34-member caucus as the most diverse in state history. As caucus leadership roles are filled, Dziedzic said the team will reflect that diversity.

Fellow Minneapolis Sen. Bobby Joe Champion will serve as Senate president, the first Black person to hold the mostly parliamentary post. Champion said he also hopes to chair a committee.

DFLers also announced the selection of the chairs of two key committees: Tax and Finance. Sen. Ann Rest of New Hope will lead the Tax Committee, a post she held in the state House of Representatives for four years before she moved to the Senate two decades ago.

Sen. John Marty of Roseville will be chairman of the Finance Committee. "I think there will be a good budget that represents the entire state of Minnesota," Marty said.

Responding to questions about the lack of geographic diversity, Dziedzic said this is not the entirety of the leadership team and discussions continue about other positions, including assistant majority leaders.

Also in defense of the team's geography, Dziedzic added the mantra of the late DFL U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone. "We all do better when we all do better and it shouldn't matter what ZIP code you live in."

As for priorities, Dziedzic said those will be developed in coming days. She declined to be specific about what might come up for a vote first. "We've just met — a lot of us," Dziedzic said, referring to the new members of the caucus and the veterans who convened as a group for the first time.

After the four leaders were introduced, the rest of the caucus came out and posed for a group photo but didn't take questions. Later Thursday, House Democrats chose their leadership team, tapping Rep. Melissa Hortman of Brooklyn Park for another term as speaker and electing Rep. Jamie Long of Minneapolis as the House majority leader.

Senate Republicans, newly in the minority, also picked new leaders, including choosing Sen. Mark Johnson as minority leader starting in January.

The three-term senator from East Grand Forks said the caucus will be "33 strong" on priorities they already pushed in the majority: permanent tax cuts, public safety and improving outcomes for kids in the classroom.

Johnson said Democrats also supported a deal that fell apart last session to cut $4 billion in taxes, and Republicans plan to hold them "accountable for their promises."

Republicans held a narrow majority in the chamber for years, having to carefully count votes to pass legislation.

"We've done this for a long time now," Johnson said. "We have a lot of experience within those small margins."

Staff writer Briana Bierschbach contributed to this report.