Republicans gained seats in states across the Midwest in the Nov. 5 election, mirroring national gains that leave the party on the precipice of controlling the executive and legislative branches.
In the Minnesota House of Representatives, the DFL and Republicans both control 67 seats, after the DFL lost three seats in Greater Minnesota to Republicans. The tie is only the second in the state’s history and ended the DFL’s two-year trifecta control of state government. The DFL still has a Senate majority.
“Minnesota voters have spoken and sent a tied Minnesota House to the Capitol, and they expect us to work together and get things done,” Rep. Melissa Hortman said, who is leading the House DFL caucus. “The House DFL is fully prepared to do just that, and I look forward to working with my Republican counterpart on a power-sharing agreement that will facilitate a well-functioning Minnesota House of Representatives.”
In the Michigan Legislature, where Democrats also had trifecta control for the past two years, Republicans took control of the House, and now hold 58 of the state’s 110 House seats. Republicans now hold seven congressional seats in the state while Democrats hold six.
Republicans maintained their statehouse majorities in the Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Wisconsin and Wyoming General Assemblies. In Montana, which had its first election with new legislative district maps, Republicans kept control of the Legislature even as Democrats picked up Senate and House seats.
Strong election results for Republicans in Wisconsin came in the first year they were seeking election on new legislative maps drawn by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and passed by Republicans under pressure from the liberal majority on the state’s Supreme Court. Democrats kept their large majorities at the statehouses in Colorado and Illinois.
In addition to winning the presidency, Republicans secured majority control of Congress from Democrats, securing at least 52 Senate seats. The GOP flipped Democrat-held seats in Ohio, Montana and West Virginia. As of Nov. 8, Democrat-controlled seats had not been called in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada.
Democrats lost a key progressive leader in the Senate: Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, was defeated by Republican candidate Bernie Moreno by more than 200,000 votes.
Republicans will likely make the 2017 tax cuts passed during the first term of former President Donald Trump permanent, said David Schultz, Hamline University professor of political science. He expects tax cuts will likely overheat the economy and could force the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates once again.
Schultz doesn’t expect banks will be directly impacted by regulatory changes during the incoming Trump administration. However, he said banks could face a weaker regulatory environment following the Supreme Court’s overturning of the Chevron doctrine, which required courts to defer to an agency’s analysis of unclear laws.
Republicans can use the reconciliation process to pass tax cuts without having to worry about the filibuster, Schultz said. Democrats can filibuster in the Senate on non-reconcilitation items while hoping the Republicans overreach and they can take back control of either the House or Senate in 2026.
Schultz said Trump could take more control of the Federal Reserve after expressing a desire to have influence over Fed interest rate decisions. Trump will likely face enough pressure from both Silicon Valley and Wall Street to prevent him from moving forward on that interest, Schultz said.
Schultz said Trump could take more control of the Federal Reserve after expressing a desire to have influence over Fed interest rate decisions. Trump will likely face enough pressure from both Silicon Valley and Wall Street to prevent him from moving forward on that interest, Schultz said.