Rep. Roger Skraba talks reelection and navigating a tied State House
The 2025 legislative session for the Minnesota House may run a little differently than in the recent past. While two close contests may see a recount, the results of the Nov. 5 election have the House split exactly down the middle between the Democratic-Farmer-Laborer and Republican parties. In 2024, the DFL had the majority in both the Minnesota Senate and House, in addition to the governorship. The tie in the House breaks the DFL “trifecta.”
Representative Roger Skraba was reelected for a second term on Nov. 5. The Republican represents House District 3A, which includes much of the Arrowhead. During Skraba’s first term, he worked closely with State Senator Grant Hauschild, a DLFer, on several issues that impact Northeast Minnesota. He has previously expressed his commitment to working with the opposing party.
Skraba spoke with WTIP about the upcoming legislative session, and said that with an evenly divided House, the representatives will need to exercise the “three Cs- communicate, cooperate, collaborate.” He said that he sees the “trifecta,” no matter which party is in power, as ineffective for governance, stressing the need for leaders to work on compromise. That said, he acknowledged that the process may not always be smooth, saying “I am not going to say it’s perfect, but if we don’t start, if we don’t try to do something, what are we? You know, we’re just as much of a failure.”
“I truly believe a majority of the people, both the Republicans and Democrats, want to get the job done,” Skraba said, adding that he would like to see politicians move past divisive rhetoric. He cited his work with Hauschild as an example, saying “We work together to get things done for northern Minnesota.”
The 2024 legislative session ended with several key pieces of legislation left to die in committee or without being voted on by either the House or Senate. Skraba said that he intends to continue to push for some of the initiatives left incomplete this past session, including improving resources for Emergency Medical Services, mental health services, and emergency communication in rural Minnesota. Moving forward with any of these efforts will require bipartisan work. The next legislative session will begin Jan. 14, 2025
Minnesota House of Representatives District 3A Representative Roger Skraba spoke with WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski live on DayBreak. Audio of that interview is below.
Kirsten Wisniewski November 7, 2024
