Latest news with #NicoleMitchell
CBS News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Special elections scheduled for Minnesota Senate seats formerly held by Nicole Mitchell, Bruce Anderson
Special elections will be held on the same day to fill the two seats vacated in the Minnesota Senate by Bruce Anderson and Nicole Mitchell. Gov. Tim Walz announced early Tuesday afternoon that both elections will be held on Nov. 4, 2025. If needed, special primaries for candidates will be held on Aug. 26. Anderson, a Republican who represented District 29, died unexpectedly last week at the age of 75. Meanwhile, Mitchell – a DFLer for District 47 – resigned from her seat after being found guilty earlier this month of felony first-degree burglary and possession of burglary or theft tools for breaking into her stepmother's home in Detroit Lakes on April 22, 2024. Candidates will have between July 30 and Aug. 6 to file with either the Secretary of State or county auditors.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minnesota state lawmaker resigns following burglary conviction
A Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker who was found guilty of burglarizing her stepmother's home resigned from office Friday. 'I am stepping down from the MN Senate, but I can't do that without expressing my gratitude,' former state Sen. Nicole Mitchell posted on social platform X. 'Thank you to my family, friends, & constituents who shared the issues they care about & trusted me to work on their behalf.' 'It's been a true honor to serve MN & the community I grew up in,' she added. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Mitchell separately penned a note to constituents thanking them for support as she formally tendered her resignation to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D). 'It has been a true honor to serve the state of Minnesota and the community I grew up in,' Mitchell, 51, wrote in the email message to supporters, per the Tribune. Mitchell, a former Weather Channel meteorologist and lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, was convicted on two felony counts last week after breaking into the home of her father's widow last year. She alternately claimed she was trying to check on her estranged stepmother and that she was attempting to recover personal items from her father, who died in 2023. 'I was just trying to get a couple of my dad's things because you wouldn't talk to me anymore,' police video of her arrest showed Mitchell telling her stepmother the night of the burglary. Mitchell, who was first elected to the state Senate in 2022, hasn't been sentenced in the case, but she could face 20 years behind bars. Walz, who was the Democratic vice presidential nominee last fall, will be responsible for calling a special election to pick Mitchell's successor in her deep Democratic seat, but the governor's office didn't immediately respond to The Hill's requests for details. Democrats held a one-seat majority in the Minnesota Senate, so Mitchell's vote was viewed as crucial to passing Democratic legislation while she was awaiting trial. She refused to resign before her conviction last week but was expected to ultimately step down by Aug. 4. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Minnesota state lawmaker resigns following burglary conviction
A Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker who was found guilty of burglarizing her stepmother's home resigned from office on Friday. 'I am stepping down from the MN Senate, but I can't do that without expressing my gratitude,' former state Sen. Nicole Mitchell posted on the social platform X. 'Thank you to my family, friends, & constituents who shared the issues they care about & trusted me to work on their behalf.' 'It's been a true honor to serve MN & the community I grew up in,' she added. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Mitchell separately penned a note to constituents thanking them for support as she formally tendered her resignation to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D). 'It has been a true honor to serve the state of Minnesota and the community I grew up in,' Mitchell, 51, wrote in the email message to supporters, per the Tribune. Mitchell, a former Weather Channel meteorologist and lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, was convicted on two felony counts last week after breaking into the home of her father's widow last year. She alternately claimed she was trying to check on her estranged stepmother and that she was attempting to recover personal items from her father, who died in 2023. 'I was just trying to get a couple of my dad's things because you wouldn't talk to me anymore,' police video of her arrest showed Mitchell telling her stepmother the night of the burglary. Mitchell, who was first elected to the state Senate in 2022, hasn't been sentenced in the case, but she could face 20 years behind bars. Walz, who was the Democratic vice presidential nominee last fall, will be responsible for calling a special election to pick Mitchell's successor in her deep Democratic seat, but the governor's office didn't immediately respond to The Hill's requests for details. Democrats held a one-seat majority in the Minnesota Senate, so Mitchell's vote was viewed as crucial to passing Democratic legislation while she was awaiting trial. She refused to resign before her conviction last week but was expected to ultimately step down by Aug. 4.
CBS News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Minnesota Sen. Nicole Mitchell resigns following conviction in burglary trial
Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell has resigned from office one week after she was found guilty on both charges in her burglary trial. Mitchell announced her resignation in a Facebook post on Friday afternoon. "I am stepping down from my MN Senate seat today, but I cannot do that without expressing my gratitude," Mitchell said. "Thank you to my family, friends, and constituents who shared with me the issues they care about and trusted me to work on their behalf. It has been a true honor to serve the state of Minnesota and the community I grew up in." Mitchell was convicted on July 18 of felony first-degree burglary and possession of burglary or theft tools for breaking into her stepmother's Detroit Lakes home in April 2024. The jurors deliberated for just over three hours following four days of testimony. Her defense attorneys said on Monday that she needed to "wrap up outstanding legislative projects ... complete ongoing constituent services ... transition legislative staff ... [and] obtain health insurance for her son" before her resignation. The now-former Democratic state senator represented parts of Woodbury and Maplewood. Gov. Tim Walz's office is expected to announce details about a special election after Mitchell's resignation. There is another special election set for September to fill a vacancy left by former DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman's politically-motivated assassination. Note: The above video first aired on July 18, 2025.
CBS News
7 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Balance of power on the line in Minnesota Senate with planned resignation of Nicole Mitchell
A guilty verdict for one state senator and the sudden death of another could reshape who's in charge in the Minnesota Senate. On Monday, 75-year-old GOP Sen. Bruce Anderson died unexpectedly on the same day DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell announced, through her attorney, that she would resign from office following a burglary conviction last week. Democrats only have a one-seat majority in the chamber right now and losing Mitchell means that power is on the line. Special elections for those seats — the dates for which have not been set — come as there is another contest planned for September for the late Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman's House district, after she was killed last month in a politically motivated attack. Gov. Tim Walz told reporters Monday, before the news broke about Anderson's death, that the goal is to have special elections wrapped up before the next legislative session. "The goal would be to do that as timely as possible, give people time to get a campaign together, run, and then have all of that done by February when we come back into session," Walz said. Anderson's Wright County district leans heavily Republican. Mitchell won her race handily in 2022, defeating a Republican challenger by more than 17 percentage points. Her district covers Woodbury and parts of Maplewood. But special elections have lower turnout than general elections. Amy Koch, the former GOP Senate majority leader who herself won a special election, said Mitchell's race in particular will likely have outsized importance — and draw a lot of campaign spending — because of both the reason she resigned and how she represents the key vote for Democrats in the closely divided Senate. "The spotlight that will be on Woodbury and how important Sen. Mitchell [is] and what she did is going to play into this election," Koch said. "All bets are off in a special. Unusual people can win specials. There can be upsets as a result of just sort of the nature of — it's fast, it's furious, and it's low turnout." With Anderson's passing and Mitchell's resignation, the chamber will be at least temporarily at 33-32 in favor of Democrats. Most bills need 34 votes to pass. Senate DFL Majority Leader Erin Murphy said in a statement following Mitchell's announcement that she would resign that "with the clarity brought by the resolution of this case, the Senate DFL Caucus will continue to focus on issues that improve the lives of Minnesota families and communities." Two House Democrats — Rep. Ethan Cha and Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger — whose districts are part of Mitchell's Senate district, announced that they intend to run for her seat. If they prevail, there would be yet another special election for their House district. All told, there will be at least six special elections this year alone. There were three others during the legislative session, including for the districts of the late DFL Sen. Kari Dziedzic, who died of cancer, and former GOP Senator Justin Eichorn. He was arrested and criminally charged for allegedly soliciting a minor for prostitution.
