Koch’s sudden resignation rocks the Capitol

Listen to this article

Another key GOP leader drops out on the eve of 2012; Michel gets interim nod

Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch sent shock waves through the Capitol complex late Thursday afternoon when she announced that she will not seek re-election in 2012 and that she is resigning her post as Senate majority leader, effective immediately.

Koch provided no explanation for why she is leaving the Legislature. The decision leaves the GOP caucus temporarily leaderless as it seeks to retain the majority in 2012.

“We cannot afford a lame duck leader in negotiations next session, which is why I am resigning from my position as majority leader,” Koch wrote in a letter announcing the decision. She cited only “thoughtful conversations with family and friends” as the basis for her decision.

The loss is significant for the Senate GOP caucus. Koch, who is serving her third term since winning a special election in 2005, was widely credited for the candidate recruitment and messaging discipline that helped her party take control of the Minnesota Senate for the first time in 40 years. As majority leader, she earned high marks from Capitol regulars of all stripes for her unflappable persona and work ethic and from Republican activists for the decidedly conservative bent of her caucus’ positions.

Koch’s resignation comes barely a month before the opening of the 2012 legislative session. It also arrives on the heels of the resignation of state GOP Chairman Tony Sutton earlier this month, leaving significant party and legislative leadership voids for Republicans heading into a crucial 2012 election year. Before those two December resignations, Senate chief of staff Cullen Sheehan stepped down last month to join a lobbying firm, and state GOP Deputy Chairman Michael Brodkorb left his post in October to work on the U.S. House campaign of state Sen. Mike Parry.

Possible contenders

Among the first names mentioned for majority leader in the immediate wake of Koch’s resignation were Health and Human Services Committee Chairman David Hann and Deputy Majority Leader Geoff Michel. Freshman Sen. Dave Thompson‘s name also immediately circulated as a possible challenger, and there was some additional buzz about Sens. Julianne Ortman and Bill Ingebrigtsen as well as past caucus head Dave Senjem.

As of midday Friday, some GOP sources were suggesting a surge in chatter about Ortman as a potential caucus head.

During a conference call Thursday evening, the Senate GOP’s assistant majority leaders quickly selected Michel as interim leader, and a hurried timetable has been set to elect a permanent replacement. According to caucus bylaws, a new majority leader must be elected within two weeks of an official letter of resignation. In an email to the caucus, Michel said the vote must be held by Dec. 29. All members who wish to vote must be physically present at the caucus meeting, he added.

Koch’s resignation came as a surprise to many rank-and-file members of the caucus. Freshman Sen. John Howe, R-Red Wing, wasn’t aware of the news until contacted by Capitol Report at about 5 p.m. Thursday. “That comes as a complete surprise,” Howe said.

Thompson said that he heard rumblings about Koch possibly resigning roughly three hours before the letter was released. “I really truly have no inside information,” Thompson said on Thursday afternoon. “I have not spoken with Sen. Koch.”

Past precedents

Mike Kennedy, a Senate staffer who is leading the effort to try to regain the majority for DFLers in 2012, said a similar situation happened on the DFL side in 2003, when the caucus replaced Majority Leader John Hottinger with Sen. Dean Johnson. “It’s an ugly time when that happens,” Kennedy noted. “Their focus right now is not on raising money and not on recruiting candidates but electing a new leader and getting everything sorted out. There’s a long way to go until we get to the 2012 elections, but what’s happening on the GOP side in terms of all the chaos is helping us.”

The official line among GOP insiders close to Koch was that her resignation from leadership was driven by exhaustion from a year that included a combative legislative session and three-week government shutdown. “I know that Amy was struggling with a lot of the pressure of the role of majority leader certainly during the special session and during the session last year,” said Sen. Chris Gerlach, R-Apple Valley. “I know there was a lot of pressure on her.”

But the suddenness of the announcement, coupled with the awkward timing, suggests that other factors may have been in play. One GOP lobbyist suggested that Koch may have been facing internal pressures from a conservative, boisterous caucus that includes 21 freshmen. Many caucus members weren’t entirely satisfied with how the government shutdown and the state’s $5 billion budget deficit were resolved; they believed that a number of social issues had gotten short shrift. “There was some political naiveté on the part of her caucus as to what to expect,” this person noted.

But Sen. Paul Gazelka, a frequent champion of conservative social issues, denied that there was significant unrest within the caucus. “Certainly the more conservative senators in the Republican caucus wanted to move more issues forward all at once, but at the end of the day … there was not the sense that she did a poor job,” Gazelka said. “I think the overall consensus was that she did a very good job.”

While Michel would seem to be the obvious choice to step into the leadership void, he could also face ideological pressures that would make the transition difficult. As the senator from a conspicuously moderate swing district, he would likely find it difficult to head a very conservative caucus and satisfy the party activists back home at the same time.

DFL Gov. Mark Dayton issued a news release in which he wrote, “I personally regret Sen. Koch’s decision to step down as majority leader of the Minnesota Senate and not to seek re-election. I have developed great respect for her during the past year of working together. She has been an excellent leader of her caucus and, while we often disagree, a strong advocate for her beliefs.”

Republican House Speaker Kurt Zellers said that Koch “made history this year” by shepherding in the first-ever modern Republican majority in the Senate and becoming the first woman to lead the chamber. “Amy is a dear friend,” he added, “and I will truly miss working with her on a daily basis.”

Staff Writers Charley Shaw and Briana Bierschbach contributed to this report.