The Senate DFL has formalized its committee structure and appointed the chairs who will direct the flow of legislation in 2013.

Senate District 59, which encompasses the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota and northeast Minneapolis, is home to one of the most concentrated DFL constituencies in Minnesota.

Sen. Linda Higgins doesn’t want her political obituary written just yet. First off, while the five-term Minneapolis senator announced last Monday that she won’t seek re-election in 2012, she plans to serve out her term through the end of next year.

The changing demographics and DFL-friendly voting record of Senate District 46 signaled an easy win for DFL Sen.-elect Chris Eaton in Tuesday’s special election.

Current DFL Rep. Jeff Hayden won a special election in Minneapolis' Senate District 61 with more than 68 percent of the vote, while DFL newcomer Chris Eaton, a registered nurse from Brooklyn Center, took home the Senate District 46 race with more than 60 percent of the vote.

DFLers Chris Eaton and Rep. Jeff Hayden handily won primaries Tuesday ahead of an Oct. 18 contest to fill two open seats in the state Senate.

In a Democratic safe haven like Minneapolis, it’s no surprise that the political drama in electing a replacement for retiring Sen. Linda Berglin is among DFLers.

The endorsements will likely be key in the Minneapolis and Brooklyn Center districts -- both DFL strongholds -- as candidates line up for an upcoming Sept. 13 primary. Hayden will face five other DFLers in the Minneapolis primary battle in September, while Eaton is up against one other DFLer in the primary and a Democrat-turned Independence Party candidate in the October general election for the district, which also includes part of Brooklyn Park.

Shortly after DFL Sen. Linda Scheid died from cancer in June, the stars began to align for Chris Eaton to take her place in the upper chamber.

Republicans are lining up for the Oct. 18 special election to fill two Senate seats that have been held by DFLers for the last several decades.