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Bakk will not seek re-election
Longtime state Senator announces he'll retire at the end of the year
REGIONAL– In a decision with significant political repercussions for northeastern Minnesota, state Sen. Tom Bakk, the independent from Cook, announced Thursday that he will not seek re-election and will retire at the end of the year.
Bakk first entered elected office in 1994, when he ran for the seat vacated by Rep. David Battaglia. He served four terms in the House before moving to the state Senate upon the retirement of longtime Sen. Doug Johnson. He has since served six terms in the Senate, holding the positions of both majority and minority leader for the DFL caucus. He also served as Senate Tax Chair from 2007-2010.
Bakk left the DFL in the wake of the 2020 election and has caucused with the Republican majority in the Senate ever since. Bakk had earlier signaled a reluctance to retire this year, when the region is facing the loss of its other longtime senator, David Tomassoni, so his decision comes as something of a surprise.
“There is still a lot more to be done but it is time for me to pass the torch,” stated Bakk in a release issued March 17. “I’m certain there are new inspiring leaders waiting in the wings. For 28 years it has been my time to serve but now it is finally my time to retire.”
The Timberjay will have more on this story in its March 25 print edition.
