The
last election in 2016 resulted in the
Republican Party of Minnesota winning a majority of seats, after losing a majority to the
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) only four years earlier in the
previous election in 2012. In conjunction with the result of the
House election, it also resulted in the return of all-Republican control of the Legislature for the first time since 2012, and only the second time Republicans had had majorities in both houses since the return of partisan elections to the Senate in 1976. Control of the Senate had alternated between the Republicans and the DFL every election since
2010. All-Republican control of the Legislature ended when the DFL won a majority in the House in
2018. A
special election was held for District 11 on February 5, 2019, as a result of the resignation of incumbent DFL Senator
Tony Lourey after he was selected to be the next commissioner of human services by
Governor-elect
Tim Walz in early January 2019. Republican state representative
Jason Rarick won the special election, increasing the Republican majority to 35 seats. In October 2020,
The Washington Post identified this state election as one of eight whose outcomes could affect
partisan balance during post-
census redistricting. ==Electoral system==