Senator Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, has announced she will resign from the Minnesota Senate next month. Her announcement comes just days after she was convicted of two felonies, first-degree burglary and possession of burglary or theft tools.
In April of 2024, Mitchell was arrested after breaking into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home with the intent to take items that once belonged to her late father. A jury convicted Mitchell of both felonies after a week-long trial that concluded on Friday. The senator has not yet been sentenced.
Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, previously said she expects Mitchell to resign as “Senator Mitchell has told colleagues that she intended to resign if found guilty.”
According to Mitchell’s resignation announcement, the DFL lawmaker will resign her seat in the Senate no later than Aug. 4 at 5 p.m.
A press release from her legal team says Mitchell will use the time leading up to Aug. 4 to get her legislative projects ready to hand off to a successor, resolve ongoing constituent service cases, help her legislative staff transition to new employment, and obtain health insurance for one of her sons who is insured through Mitchell’s legislative employment.
“Once these tasks are completed, Senator Mitchell will tender her resignation,” says the press release. “It was the honor of her lifetime to serve her District and the State of Minnesota.”
Moments after the announcement, Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, slammed the senator’s decision to not resign immediately.
“Senator Mitchell was convicted of two felonies; she doesn’t get to give the Senate two weeks’ notice. Democrats shielded Mitchell for 15 months to protect their political power, but a jury needed just three hours to confirm what was already clear: she shouldn’t be a senator. Not after April 22, 2024. Not in January of 2025. And not today,” he said.
In the Senate, Democrats have a one-seat majority (34-33). With Mitchell’s impending resignation, the Senate will be evenly split between the GOP and the DFL. In turn, Gov. Tim Walz is expected to call a special election for Mitchell’s seat once her resignation is official. The winner of that election will determine which party controls the chamber.
The Senate seat in question, District 47, includes all of Woodbury and part of Maplewood. In 2022, Mitchell won the seat by roughly 17 points.
The post BREAKING: Sen. Nicole Mitchell announces resignation following burglary conviction appeared first on Alpha News MN.
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Author: Luke Sprinkel
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