DFL lawmaker mocks JD Vance’s ‘losing streak,’ urges him to visit Minnesota
After Viktor Orbán’s landslide loss days after a JD Vance visit, Minnesota Rep. Andy Smith is publicly urging the vice president to bring his “magnetic personality” to campaign for state Republicans in 2026.
Minnesota state Rep. Andy Smith (DFL-Rochester) issued a taunting request on Thursday, urging Vice President JD Vance to use his “magnetic personality” to campaign for Republican candidates in his state.
Smith jokingly touched on Vance’s campaigning in Hungary earlier this month to support authoritarian leader Viktor Orbán’s reelection effort. Orbán lost in a landslide election a week after Vance’s appearance, ending his controversial 16-year reign as Hungary’s prime minister.
“Come campaign for all of my Republican colleagues, including Lisa DeMuth, who’s the Speaker of the House and running for governor, so that we can get a Democratic trifecta here in Minnesota and actually get to work for the people of Minnesota,” Smith says in the video. “Excited to see you soon.”
Orbán’s defeat was the latest of several unfortunate events that have plagued Vance since he became vice president. These events include his failed peace talks with Iran, his half-brother’s landslide mayoral loss in Cincinnati and the death of Pope Francis last year, which came one day after a visit with Vance. This streak has created an internet trend suggesting that Vance is cursed with bad luck, which Smith wants him to bring to his Republican colleagues in Minnesota.
Minnesota Elections
Smith and his Democratic colleagues currently share control of the state House of Representatives after an even 67-67 split led to a power struggle early last year. The parties struck a unique power-sharing agreement last year, giving Rep. Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) the speakership control the GOP control of the Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee. All other committees have an equal number of Democrats and Republicans under the 67-67 split. Democrats control the governorship and the state Senate, the latter with a one-seat majority (34-33).
This year, Democrats are looking to regain a trifecta in the state government, which they had from 2022-24. During that time, Democrats were able to pass much of Gov. Tim Walz’s (DFL) agenda without Republican support, including paid family and medial leave, a 100% clean energy law and voting rights expansion. But with the current power split, the legislature has been unable to compromise on key issues that citizens are demanding, including stricter gun control laws.
With Walz not seeking a third term this year, Democrats are also looking to keep the governorship under a new leader. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (DFL) is the frontrunner in the gubernatorial race, which Cook Political Report rates as “Safe Democrat”.
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