Sen. Nicole Mitchell (D-Woodbury)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (KFGO/WCCO) – Minnesota’s DFL Chairman Ken Martin is calling for the resignation of Democratic Sen. Nicole Mitchell of Woodbury.
It comes after Mitchell was charged with burglary after breaking into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home last month.
Martin says, in part, that Mitchell’s continued refusal to take responsibility for her actions is beneath the office.
“The Minnesota DFL believes that all elected officials should be held accountable, including members of our own party,” Martin wrote in a statement released Thursday morning. “While Sen. Mitchell is entitled to her day in court, her continued refusal to take responsibility for her actions is beneath her office and has become a distraction for her district and the Legislature. Now that her constituents have had full representation through the end of the legislative session, it is time for her to resign to focus on the personal and legal challenges she faces.”
Mitchell said during the session, when Democrats controlled the Senate by one vote, that she had no plans to resign. Her term ends in 2027.
Republican Senate Leader Mark Johnson of East Grand Forks says he’s disappointed that the call for Mitchell to resign only came after the end of the session and that it’s despicable of Democrats to use “the votes of an alleged burglar” to pass their partisan agenda.
“DFL went to the mat to protect her and now as soon as they’re done needing her votes, then they will throw her out to the wolves,” says Johnson. “This is really quite a sad day in the state and I wish it was something that was done a long time ago.”
Johnson adds that the Democrats passed a “highly partisan” agenda.
“I mean, if there is right and wrong in this world, it should be called for right away,” he said. “There’s no new information, no new facts that came out. This is something that the DFL should have been very strong about.”
Mitchell never explained her actions to a Senate Ethics Committee investigation. The criminal complaint says Mitchell was found in the basement of her stepmother’s home just before 5 a.m. on April 22 wearing all black clothing and a black hat.
In a Facebook post, Mitchell denied stealing and said she was checking on a loved one with Alzheimer’s. Investigators said Mitchell told them she was trying to retrieve some of her deceased dad’s belongings including pictures, a flannel shirt, and ashes, adding that her stepmother wouldn’t talk to Mitchell and other family members.
In a statement, Mitchell’s attorney in the burglary case says the senator does not intend to resign at this time.
“Sen. Mitchell has served her constituents, including during the final weeks of the 2024 Minnesota Legislative Session, and plans to continue serving them now that the session has adjourned,” the statement reads. “Sen. Mitchell has heard from many in her community who support her work and believe in her right to due process under the law. Therefore, until her criminal case is fully and finally adjudicated, Sen. Mitchell will continue to serve her constituents as the duly elected state senator from District 47.”
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