At some point, Gov. Tim Walz (DFL) will call a special election to fill his seat as well as that of former DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman’s seat after she and her husband were fatally shot in a politically motivated attack last month.
Meanwhile, another Minnesota state senator, Democratic Farm Labor Party member Nicole Mitchell, was convicted of felony burglary late last month, more than a year after she was caught breaking into her stepmother’s home.
Mitchell had faced bipartisan calls to resign following her arrest, though some defended her right to due process. She faces anywhere from a minimum of six months to a maximum of 20 years behind bars, Fox News reported.
“Senator Mitchell has been afforded due process, a trial by a jury of her peers, and that jury has delivered a verdict. I am relieved to see the end of Senator Mitchell’s trial. The case’s resolution brings clarity to the situation,” Murphy said in a statement issued by the DFL after the verdict.
“Senator Mitchell has told colleagues that she intended to resign if found guilty of this crime, and I expect her to follow through on that pledge. Our caucus remains focused on the issues that matter to Minnesotan families and communities,” Murphy added.
Mitchell was arrested in April 2024 after breaking into her stepmother’s home. Mitchell claimed she entered the residence to retrieve belongings that had belonged to her late father, and said her stepmother, Carol Mitchell, was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.