Following the 2024 election loss, where then-Vice President Kamala Harris was the running mate, Minnesota’s Republican Party has dealt another blow to Democratic Governor Tim Walz. On Thursday, Republicans announced control over the Minnesota House of Representatives for the next two years, securing a narrow majority of 67 seats to the Democrats’ 66, with one vacant seat. The control shift came after a power-sharing agreement led to the election of GOP State Rep. Lisa Demuth as speaker, and the formation of an oversight committee focused on investigating the Walz administration. The GOP’s one-seat advantage gives them control over committee chairs, which will provide leverage in budget negotiations. The oversight committee will focus on potential fraud, with recent cases reported and a Minnesota nonprofit accused of stealing $250 million from federal COVID-19 relief funds. Democrats will contest the vacancy in a special election scheduled for March.