An outspoken critic of the Minnesota Legislature’s secrecy and polarization, Rep. Erin Koegel, DFL-Spring Lake Park and co-chair of the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee, announced on Monday that the next legislative session will be her last. Koegel, first elected in 2016, plans to retire when the 2026 legislative session concludes.
In an interview, Koegel cited the growing partisanship within the Legislature as a major factor in her decision to step down. She explained, “How people are not open to ideas because of the letter behind your name versus the content of the idea” has made the environment increasingly difficult. “The adversarial nature of the Legislature makes it just a very difficult place to be in,” she said. “I feel like the environment is getting worse for my own mental health.”
Unlike many lawmakers, Koegel does not hold any other job outside of her role as a state representative. Reflecting on her departure, she said, “Leaving the Legislature would be kind of scary but at the same time exciting.”
### Legislative Achievements and Challenges
Koegel’s accomplishments include advancing micro transit services within the Twin Cities Metro Transit system and championing a 2023 transportation bill that indexed the gas tax to inflation and allocated funding toward the Northern Lights Express passenger train, among other initiatives.
However, she has also faced significant obstacles. Political horse-trading has often led to the deprioritization of public transit in favor of other interests. For example, during the past legislative session, unemployment insurance funds intended for hourly school workers were reallocated away from the Northern Lights project.
During a recent one-day special legislative session, Koegel vocally opposed the decision by legislative leaders to scrap an agreement to begin designing a bus rapid transit system for the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Speaking on the House floor, she remarked, “All of the leaders signed the spreadsheet for the policy provision and then went back on their word.” Koegel’s daughter sat beside her, listening through headphones and drawing as she spoke. “If people saw what happened behind closed doors, they’d actually be appalled,” she added.
### Experiences Amid Rising Political Tensions
Koegel has also been affected by the nationwide trend of pranksters targeting lawmakers and judges with unwanted pizza deliveries. Just two days after House DFL leader Melissa Hortman was the target of an assassination threat, Domino’s Pizza continually delivered pies to her home — a situation made all the more surreal by the presence of two police cars stationed outside to deter potential copycat attacks.
Despite these threats, Koegel emphasized that her decision to leave is driven less by concerns over public safety and more by uncertainty about what she can realistically accomplish in a deeply divided Legislature.
### Higher Turnover Ahead
Koegel is among a growing number of lawmakers choosing to retire at the end of the session, signaling higher turnover than usual. By November 2023, only one legislator, Republican Brian Daniels, had announced retirement plans ahead of the 2024 session. Now, approximately half a dozen lawmakers have indicated they will step down following the 2026 session.
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*Related: An annual report showed an uptick in legislative bipartisanship at the Capitol in 2025.*
*Related: The threat of political violence is keeping parents out of elected office.*
https://www.minnpost.com/state-government/2025/11/erin-koegel-victim-of-pizza-terrorism-and-critic-of-backroom-legislative-dealmaking-will-leave-the-minnesota-house-next-year/
