Longtime Minnesota senators leaving DFL to form Independent caucus

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – Two longtime Minnesota DFL senators announced Wednesday they are leaving the Minnesota Senate DFL caucus to form a new Independent caucus.

In a joint news release, Sen. Tom Bakk of Cook, a senator since 2003, and Sen. David Tomassoni of Chisholm, a senator since 2001, said the move is a “natural progression” towards becoming more bipartisan and moderate.

“People are going to wonder why I’m doing this – and to be honest, there are several reasons,” Bakk said. “I’m very disappointed by the extreme partisanship going on nationally and right here in Minnesota. Both political parties are to blame. The constant negative and sharp rhetoric is undermining voters’ confidence in our public institutions. It doesn’t have to stay this way.”