List of minority leaders of the Minnesota House of Representatives

This is a list of minority leaders of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Name Took office Left office Party/caucus Charles L. Halstead 19451947LiberalJoseph L. Prifrel 19471949LiberalEdwin J. Chilgren 19491951LiberalFred A. Cina 19511955Liberal John A. Hartle 19551957Conservative Odin E. S. Langen 19571959Conservative Lloyd L. Duxbury 19591963ConservativeFred A. Cina 19631969LiberalMartin Olav Sabo 19691973LiberalAubrey W. Dirlam 19731975RepublicanHenry J. Savelkoul 19751979Independent-Republican NoneFrom 1979 to 1980, the House was evenly divided. 19791980  Rod Searle 19801981Independent-Republican Glen Sherwood 19811982Independent-Republican David M. Jennings 19821985Independent-Republican Fred Norton 19851987Democratic-Farmer-Labor William R. Schreiber 19871991Independent-Republican Terry Dempsey 19911993Independent-Republican Steve Sviggum 19931999Independent-Republican/Republican Tom Pugh 19992003Democratic-Farmer-Labor Matt Entenza 20032006Democratic-Farmer-Labor Margaret Anderson Kelliher 20062007Democratic-Farmer-Labor Marty Seifert 20072009Republican Kurt Zellers 20092011Republican Paul Thissen 20112013Democratic-Farmer-Labor Kurt Daudt 20132015Republican Paul Thissen 20152017Democratic-Farmer-Labor Melissa Hortman 20172019Democratic-Farmer-Labor Kurt Daudt 20192023Republican Lisa Demuth 20232025Republican Melissa Hortman 20252025Democratic-Farmer-Labor NoneSince March 2025, the House has been evenly divided. Melissa Hortman and later Zach Stephenson held the title of DFL Leader while Lisa Demuth was Speaker of the House 2025 

Notes on Minnesota political party names

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party: On April 15, 1944 the state Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party merged and created the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). It is affiliated with the national Democratic Party. Republican Party of Minnesota: From November 15, 1975 to September 23, 1995 the name of the state Republican party was the Independent-Republican party (I-R). The party has always been affiliated with the national Republican Party.

In 1913, Minnesota legislators began to be elected on nonpartisan ballots. Nonpartisanship also was an historical accident that occurred in the 1913 session when a bill to provide for no party elections of judges and city and county officers was amended to include the Legislature in the belief that it would kill the bill. Legislators ran and caucused as "Liberals" or "Conservatives" roughly equivalent in most years to Democratic-Farmer-Labor and Republican, respectively. The law was changed in 1973, in 1974, House members again ran with party designation.

Notes

References Minnesota Legislative Reference Library