05/18/2026
Inaction is a choice not inertia. And the House chose not to lead.
Back in February β one week into session β we said the lines were already drawn: Democrats trying to solve problems, Republicans trying to avoid accountability, and Minnesotans asking for help.
We told you to remember who said no.
Nothing about that story changed.
Yes β some meaningful things passed:
β’ $205M for HCMC + access to a $500M reserve β our Level-1 trauma center stays open
β’ A $1.2B bonding bill for roads, bridges, and water systems
β’ A new Inspector General to investigate Medicaid fraud
β’ Property tax relief, a tab fee rollback, $40M in rental assistance
Those things matter. Legislators from both parties helped make them happen.
But if that's all you hear, you're missing the real story.
This session wasn't defined by compromise.
It was defined by obstruction β dressed up as procedure.
Senate Democrats (34β33 majority) passed bills to:
β’ Keep ICE out of schools, hospitals, daycares, and courthouses
β’ Let Minnesotans sue federal agents who violate their rights
β’ Require independent investigation when federal agents kill someone in Minnesota β like Renee Good (Jan 7) and Alex Pretti (Jan 24)
β’ Deliver $100M to small businesses hit by Operation Metro Surge
β’ Ban assault weapons after the murders of Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel
Every single one of those bills died in the House.
Not because they weren't ready. Not because they weren't debated.
Because House Republican leadership refused to allow votes.
Here's why. Speaker Demuth is running for governor. Republican endorsing delegates meet later this month. In that room, any sign of bipartisan compromise on these issues was politically disqualifying. So the bills didn't come up.
And now comes the spin.
You'll hear the bills "weren't ready." Speaker Demuth claimed the gun bill had already been "voted on eight times." Don't fall for that.
When leadership refuses a floor vote, the only way to force one is a motion to suspend the rules.
That vote is the vote.
Every Republican who voted no voted to:
β’ Block debate
β’ Block a final vote
β’ Protect themselves from going on record
You don't get to say "we never voted on it" when you voted to make sure it never came up.
Here's the record:
π February 19 β ICE protections blocked (67β67)
π March 26 β ICE protections blocked (tie), assault weapons ban blocked (tie) β same night, same strategy
π May 14 β Assault weapons ban blocked again after 6+ hours of debate (67 votes; needed 90). Not one Republican crossed over.
Eight committee votes. Full Senate passage. Months of debate.
The bills were ready. Republicans weren't.
On the final night, House DFL Leader Jamie Long asked Demuth on the floor whether she had prevented votes on DFL priorities.
Her answer: the packages were "still being reviewed."
Still being reviewed β after months of hearings, committee votes, and a full Senate passage.
Long pressed harder: "Can you confirm that the reason we were unable to vote on the comprehensive gun violence prevention package and the comprehensive response to Operation Metro Surge is that you have held the bills and not released them?"
"That is not true," Demuth said.
When Long asked her why, she didn't answer.
While that exchange was happening on the House floor, Demuth's own adult daughter, Shelisa, was outside the Capitol with hundreds of gun control advocates.
She told WCCO she was there hoping her mother would bring the bill to a vote. Shelisa has been outspoken about the issue on social media throughout the session.
That silence β inside and outside β matters.
Because this is one of the oldest plays in politics:
Create dysfunction.
Block solutions.
Then campaign on the dysfunction.
That's exactly what happened here.
Most of us who've watched the legislature long enough have real respect for the work.
End of session, there are retirement speeches β legislators who've given years to public service standing at the microphone one last time, talking about what it all meant.
We find those admirable. Genuinely inspiring, even.
This year we couldn't quite get there.
Retirement speeches deserve a better backdrop than that. So do the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. So do the parents of Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel.
Now it's up to voters.
Candidate filing closes June 2. Primaries are August 11. The general election is November 3.
Find your House race.
If your representative is an incumbent: ask them about February 19, March 26, and May 14. Ask them why they voted to block debate.
If they're a challenger: ask how they would have voted.
Then take that answer to your neighbors.
Because when that conversation happens across all 134 districts, a 67β67 House doesn't stay 67β67.
We said in February: remember who said no.
Share this so your neighbors know where to look and what to ask your candidates.
Some will be counting on you to forget.
Thatβs up to you.
