Larry Kraft puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like you and me. But unlike us, by the time Kraft's pants are on, he's avoiding the State Capitol to deny Republicans a quorum in the House of Representatives.
The DFLer from St. Louis Park spent Thursday meeting with constituents in his home district and touring the local high school as a bitter dispute between Democrats and Republicans over House leadership made its way to the state Supreme Court.
“I’m really anxious to get this behind us,” Kraft told reporter Janet Moore.
A quick primer on the state of play in the House:
• The chamber was divided evenly, 67-67, after November's election. The DFL and GOP began working on a power-sharing agreement.
• Then, a Roseville Democrat stepped down because a judge ruled he didn't actually live in the district he won. And Republicans refused to seat a Shakopee-area DFLer because elections officials lost 20 ballots in a razor-thin race.
• State statute says a majority of the House must be present for the chamber to do business. Republicans say 67 is the magic number because there are currently 133 representatives sworn in. Democrats and Secretary of State Steve Simon say it should be 68 because that's a majority of 134, or the total number of seats in the House.
So, in an effort to deny Republicans that quorum, Kraft and the rest of his caucus have avoided the House as the GOP elected a speaker and began conducting business. That's why he spent Thursday bouncing between meetings in St. Paul and St. Louis Park.
Moore has a full dispatch from Kraft's day at the link below. We've also included everything you need to know about the standstill at the Minnesota House.
