Recall petition filed against Quam

State Rep. Duane Quam, R-Byron, showed up to the Capitol on January 14, was sworn in, and when called on, voted for Lisa Demuth, a Republican from the Iron Range, to be the next Speaker of the House.
There were no DFL lawmakers in attendance, who were boycotting the session, until a power sharing agreement could be reached between both parties.
Currently, the Republicans hold a one vote majority in the House, but in March, when a special election to determine a Roseville seat, it is expected both parties will have equal power.
Despite the political theatre, Quam saw this year’s first day of session as no different.
Now, a recall petition has been filed and accepted by the Secretary of State.
According to a press release from the Indivisible Rochester chapter, the group of voters in the district filed the petition after Quam committed “serious malfeasance during the current term of office.”
“On January 14, 2025, Republican House members took hostile control of the state legislature without a quorum and conducted business such as electing a Speaker, appointing committees, and moving legislation forward,” the press release stated.
Quam, in a phone interview, argued there have been times in the past when 67 votes were enough to elect a speaker, and with only 133 possible votes, he felt it made sense that 67 would be enough for a quorum.
“The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled on January 24, 2025, that the House requires 68 members to constitute a quorum; making the conduct of the GOP House members from January 14, 2025 until January 24, 2025 illegal and illegitimate,” the press release from Indivisible Rochester stated.
Quam argued he showed up to work, and there could’ve been a quorum if one member of the DFL party showed up to the session.
“If one of the minority showed up it would’ve been,” Quam said.
Quam said he didn’t vote on any legislation during the time period mentioned, and the only vote he took was to elect Demuth. He also argued he is not a member of the caucus leadership team.
“The difference between January 14, and last Thursday, the same Speaker was elected with the 67 votes, the same committee structure and assignments were made, basically there’s not a difference because there’s still a majority and a minority for another four or five weeks,” Quam said.
It is unclear who organized the petition.
“Indivisible Rochester MN Area endorses the recall petition submitted today on behalf of a group of MN House District 24A constituents,” a statement stated. “Duane Quam (R) is accused of committing serious malfeasance during the current term of office in the performance of his duties while conducting business and voting on legislation at the Capitol during a period of no quorum.”
Heather Holmes, who ran against Quam as the DFL candidate in the 2024 election, said she heard rumblings about the petition but said she avoided becoming involved with it.
“I plan to run again in 2026, so I am staying out of the process. We’ve been focusing our efforts on organizing in our district,” Holmes said. “However, recalls are one way for voters to express their dissatisfaction with their elected officials. That being said, it is up to the courts to decide if there is just cause. If the courts support the petition, then it will be up to the people in 24A to determine whether or not the recall efforts will be successful.”
What’s Next?
According to a memo on the House of Representatives website, the first step now that the petition is deemed valid, is for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to determine “if the grounds listed in the petition meet the constitutional and statutory standards for recall.”
If so, a special master is appointed, to conduct further review.
Within 20 days of the report prepared by the special master, the Supreme Court has to determine whether or not the grounds for a recall had been met.
If grounds are met, at least 25% of the number of voters who voted for that office in the last election need to sign a petition in order for a special election to be called.
If a majority of voters vote to remove an individual from office, then the office is declared vacant.
But for now Quam says he is working on the work ahead, including passing a state budget.
“I’m focusing on the normal stuff,” Quam said. “There’s a lot to do to get ready, and to get the job done.”