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  • Party Control Table

    • Legislative Party Control Chart, 1901-present

    Compiled by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library

    This visual table describes the parties in control of the Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate from 1901 to the present.

    In 1913, Minnesota legislators began to be elected on nonpartisan ballots (1913 Minn. Laws Chap. 389). Legislators ran and caucused as "Liberals" or "Conservatives" (roughly equivalent in most years to Democratic-Farmer-Labor and Republican, respectively. A 1973 Law change brought back party designation elections beginning with the House in 1974 and the Senate in 1976 (1973 Minn. Laws Chapter 3 section 1; first numbered Minnesota Statute 202.03; renumbered Minnesota Statute 204B.36, subdivision 2). For this time period, control is listed as Conservative or Liberal.

    For more detail on numbers of members, changes within legislative sessions, and names of parties, see Party Control of the Minnesota House of Representatives, 1951-present, and Party Control of the Minnesota Senate, 1951-present.

    Session House Senate Governor
    93rd, 2023-2024 blue DFL blue DFL blue DFL
    92nd, 2021-2022 blue DFL red Republican blue DFL
    91st, 2019-2020 blue DFL red Republican blue DFL
    90th, 2017-2018 red Republican red Republican blue DFL
    89th, 2015-2016 red Republican blue DFL blue DFL
    88th, 2013-2014 blue DFL blue DFL blue DFL
    87th, 2011-2012 red Republican red Republican blue DFL
    86th, 2009-2010 blue DFL blue DFL red Republican
    85th, 2007-2008 blue DFL blue DFL red Republican
    84th, 2005-2006 red Republican blue DFL red Republican
    83rd, 2003-2004 red Republican blue DFL red Republican
    82nd, 2001-2002 red Republican blue DFL white Reform
    81st, 1999-2000 red Republican blue DFL white Reform
    80th, 1997-1998 blue DFL blue DFL red Republican
    79th, 1995-1996 blue DFL blue DFL red Republican
    78th, 1993-1994 blue DFL blue DFL red Republican
    77th, 1991-1992 blue DFL blue DFL red Republican
    76th, 1989-1990 blue DFL blue DFL blue DFL
    75th, 1987-1988 blue DFL blue DFL blue DFL
    74th, 1985-1986 red Republican blue DFL blue DFL
    73rd, 1983-1984 blue DFL blue DFL blue DFL
    72nd, 1981-1982 blue DFL blue DFL red Republican
    71st, 1979-1980 blue DFL (1980) blue DFL red Republican
    blue and red Tie (1979)
    70th, 1977-1978 blue DFL blue DFL blue DFL
    69th, 1975-1976 blue DFL blue Liberal blue DFL
    68th, 1973-1974 blue Liberal blue Liberal blue DFL
    67th, 1971 red Conservative red Conservative blue DFL
    66th, 1969 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    65th, 1967 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    64th, 1965-1966 red Conservative red Conservative blue DFL
    63rd, 1963 red Conservative red Conservative blue DFL (starting 3/25/1963)
    red Republican (through 3/25/1963)
    62nd, 1961 blue Liberal red Conservative red Republican
    61st, 1959 blue Liberal red Conservative blue DFL
    60th, 1957-1958 blue Liberal red Conservative blue DFL
    59th, 1955 blue Liberal red Conservative blue DFL
    58th, 1953 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    57th, 1951 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    56th, 1949 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    55th, 1947 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    54th, 1945 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    53rd, 1943-1944 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    52nd, 1941 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    51st, 1939 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    50th, 1937 blue Liberal red Conservative blue Farmer Labor
    49th, 1935-1936 red Conservative red Conservative blue Farmer Labor
    48th, 1933 blue Liberal red Conservative blue Farmer Labor
    47th, 1931 red Conservative red Conservative blue Farmer Labor
    46th, 1929 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    45th, 1927 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    44th, 1925 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    43rd, 1923 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    42nd, 1921 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    41st, 1919 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    40th, 1917 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican
    39th, 1915-1916 red Conservative red Conservative red Republican (1916)
    blue Democrat (1915)
    38th, 1913 red Republican red Republican red Republican
    37th, 1911-1912 red Republican red Republican red Republican
    36th, 1909 red Republican red Republican blue Democrat
    35th, 1907 red Republican red Republican blue Democrat
    34th, 1905 red Republican red Republican blue Democrat
    33rd, 1903 red Republican red Republican red Republican
    32nd, 1901-1902 red Republican red Republican red Republican

    Sources

    Adrian, Charles Raymond. The Nonpartisan Legislature in Minnesota. PhD Thesis, University of Minnesota, 1950.

    Buell, C.J. The Minnesota Legislature of 1915, The Minnesota Legislature of 1917, The Minnesota Legislature of 1919. St. Paul : C.J. Buell.

    Caucus Statistics, a notebook of news articles, book excerpts, and other resources related to party control of the Minnesota Legislature, compiled by the Legislative Reference Library.

    Gieske, Millard L. Minnesota Farmer-Laborism: The Third party Alternative. Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, 1979.

    Hinderaker, Ivan. Harold Stassen and Developments in the Republican Party in Minnesota 1937-1943. PhD Thesis, University of Minnesota, 1949.

    Legislative Manuals. St. Paul : Office of the Secretary of State, various years.

    Haines, Lynn. The Minnesota Legislature of 1911, Minneapolis : L. Haines, 1911.

    Naftalin, Arthur. "The Failure of the Farmer-Labor Party to Capture Control of the Minnesota Legislature." The American Political Science Review, Vol. 38, No. 1, February 1944, p. 71-78.

    The Minnesota Legislature - How It Works: A Report to Members of Cooperatives on Legislation Considered by the 1951 Session of the Minnesota Legislature. St. Paul : Minnesota Association of Cooperatives, 1951(?)

    The Statehouse Review: A Quick Summary of the 1939 Session of the Minnesota Legislature. St. Paul : Minnesota Legislative Reference Bureau, 1939.

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    Historical Information