Former Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart running in special election for Minnesota Senate seat

Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart, DFL-Minnetonka, gave her farewell speech on the Senate floor on May 25, 2022. YouTube screenshot.

Former Democratic state Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart is now campaigning in earnest for a seat in the Minnesota Senate after Sen. Kelly Morrison, DFL-Deep Haven, resigned Thursday to focus on her bid for U.S. Congress.

Prior to Morrison’s resignation, only the Minnesota House’s 134 seats were supposed to be on the ballot in November; senators are amid four-year terms that began in 2022.

But Morrison’s resignation sets up an Election Day special contest to determine control of the Senate, which the DFL currently controls 34-33.

The race for Senate District 45, which includes Minnetonka, Wayzata, Excelsior and Mound, will likely draw millions in outside spending, as Republicans will put all their resources toward breaking up the DFL trifecta.

Gov. Tim Walz on Friday issued a writ of special election to fill Morrison’s seat. The special election will be on Nov. 5 — the same day as the general election — and candidates can file to run for the seat on Monday and Tuesday. If needed, a special primary will take place on the regularly scheduled statewide primary day, Aug. 13.

Though the candidates aren’t official yet, Johnson Stewart will run as a DFL candidate. Kathleen Fowke, a west metro realtor who unsuccessfully ran against Morrison in 2022 as a GOP candidate, on Friday afternoon announced she will run again for the seat.

“Minnesotans are looking for balance amidst political disarray in Washington and Saint Paul,” Fowke said in a statement. “It’s time to find common ground once again, reach across the aisle and develop solutions that will work for all Minnesotans, especially our next generation.”

Johnson Stewart was elected to the Senate in 2020, but she opted not to run after her district was redrawn to include much of the district represented by then-House member Morrison.

In an interview Friday, Johnson Stewart said she was grateful she’s getting another chance to return to the Senate because she feels her work was left incomplete, especially on her top issues — access to clean drinking water and infrastructure.

“I cannot believe my good fortune, because I was crushed when I wasn’t able to run again, and now to have a second chance — it’s just a joyful morning for me, so I’m really thrilled,” Johnson Stewart said.

Johnson Stewart, a resident of Minnetonka, is a civil engineer and teaches courses at the University of Minnesota. She started her own construction inspection and materials testing business, but she sold it in 2021.

She said her engineering background is a valuable asset for the Legislature.

“I care about roads, but I care about water way more because you can drive on crappy roads, but you cannot drink water out of crappy pipe systems,” Johnson Stewart said. “ I think my engineering background will be unique. There’s nobody there that has that kind of background in helping to solve this really important issue.”

She acknowledged that the Senate race will likely get divisive, but she said she intends to focus on things that are important to everyone regardless of party affiliation: water and roads. Johnson Stewart noted that all 15 cities in the district touch Lake Minnetonka, so water quality and environmental issues resonate with many voters.

Since she left the Senate in 2022, Johnson Stewart said she’s watched the Legislature’s work and she now has an outsider’s perspective, too.

“I’m going to be a more effective senator when I get back because of this different perspective of seeing it from the outside, as somebody who used to be on the inside,” she said. “It’s a totally different perspective, and I hope to be better. I’m really grateful for a second chance.”

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