Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell to resign seat by early August after burglary conviction

Nathaniel Minor, Star Tribune on Jul 21, 2025

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MINNEAPOLIS — The attorneys for state Sen. Nicole Mitchell said she will resign her seat within two weeks, which will allow Gov. Tim Walz to call a special election to fill it.

Mitchell, a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party from Woodbury, on Friday was found guilty of first-degree burglary and felony possession of burglary tools after her 2024 arrest for breaking into her stepmother’s home in Detroit Lakes.

Over the next two weeks, Mitchell will wrap up her work at the Legislature, help her staff find new employment and obtain health insurance for her son, who was covered through her Senate job, according to a news release from the Ringstrom DeKrey law firm on Monday.

“Once these tasks are completed, Senator Mitchell will tender her resignation,” the release said. “It was the honor of her lifetime to serve her District and the State of Minnesota.”

The release says Mitchell will resign her seat by 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 4.

Once Mitchell resigns, Walz is expected to call a special election that could determine control of the state Senate. Democrats currently control the Senate by a one seat margin of 34-33. They blocked attempts from Republicans to expel her, arguing she deserved due process.

The leading Senate Republican, Mark Johnson of East Grand Forks, on Monday called on Mitchell to resign immediately.

“Senator Mitchell was convicted of two felonies; she doesn’t get to give the Senate two weeks’ notice,” he said in a press release. “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 March 22, 2024. Not in January of 2025. And not today.”

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