DFL gets another seat in Senate

11/23/2005

In special elections Tuesday to replace two Republicans, Terri Bonoff won in a west-metro district and Amy Koch kept GOP control of another by beating two challengers.

Star Tribune
Last update: November 22, 2005 at 11:57 PM

The DFL Party’s majority in the Minnesota Senate grew by one on Tuesday when special elections held to replace two departing members saw a seat formerly held by a Republican go across the political aisle.

Terri Bonoff, a DFLer and member of the Minnetonka Planning Commission, beat Plymouth Mayor Judy Johnson, a Republican, in the District 43 race by nearly 1,000 votes.

The seat became vacant when first-term Republican David Gaither became Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s chief of staff.

The election gave the DFL 36 seats to the Republicans’ 30 in the 67-member Senate. The chamber includes one Independence Party member.

The other special election held Tuesday, in Senate District 19, saw Republican Amy Koch, 34, beat DFLer John Deitering, 60, of Rockford Township, and Buffalo City Council Member Del Haag, 58, the Independence Party candidate.

The seat was vacated by four-term Republican Mark Ourada, who resigned to pursue a career as a lobbyist in Washington.

In the District 43 race, Bonoff, 48, who had pushed issues such as education, transportation and health care, defeated Johnson, 43, a popular and visible mayor who has made frequent visits to the Capitol as president of the League of Minnesota Cities, often taking positions on such things as aid to cities.

The subject of how and whether evolution and alternative theories should be taught in Minnesota schools became an issue in the campaign following a candidate forum. Johnson, who had expressed skepticism about evolution and a belief that “you need to teach all points of view,” later said she had no plans to push that issue in the Legislature. Bonoff said she opposes teaching theories that would bring religion into public school classrooms.

Bonoff must begin preparing to run for reelection next year, when Gaither’s regular four-year term would have expired.

The two elections are just the latest special elections to be called to fill vacant legislative seats. Earlier this week, Pawlenty called for two special elections for Dec. 27 to fill seats vacated by Sen. Dave Kleis, R-St. Cloud, and Rep. Joe Opatz, DFL-St. Cloud.