Rep. Daudt Says Speaker Role His 'Greatest Honor'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The one-time car salesman from Crown became the GOP's most powerful leader after taking Republicans from minority status to a 72-seat majority in the Minnesota House.
Rep. Kurt Daudt, 41, becomes the second-most powerful politician in Minnesota, behind Gov. Mark Dayton.
"It is the greatest honor of my life to be elected to be the next speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives," Daudt said.
He's a strong conservative who says he's ready for the challenge of negotiating Republican policy with Democrats.
"I think that I'm somebody that is pretty well thought of around the capitol as being somebody that's easy to talk to, somebody that's willing to work across the aisle or on any issue, but I'm going to stand up for my core principles," he said.
As their second-in-command, Republicans selected Rep. Joyce Peppin as majority leader. She says a big difference from Democrats the last two years will be more balanced focus on rural Minnesota, where many new members were elected.
"The last couple of years have really been about Minneapolis and St. Paul. They've shown that in their leadership and in their governor's office," Peppin said. "But there's a lot more to Minnesota than just Minneapolis and St. Paul. There are the suburbs that surround it, and then there's all of greater Minnesota."
Rep. Daudt says his laser-beam focus will be on jobs and the economy. Gov. Mark Dayton congratulated the new speaker in a written statement, and said he's hopeful they can work together.
That chance will come very soon. The new state budget will land on everyone's desk in just a few months, and Republicans will have a lot to say about it.