State Sen. Jeff Hayden of Minneapolis has been named deputy leader of the state Senate’s DFL majority caucus, which will take control of the body when the Legislature convenes in January.
Hayden had been in the state House for three years until he was elected to the Senate last year in a special election to replace Sen. Linda Berglin, who had resigned.
As DFLers prepare to return as the majority party in the state Senate (and the House, too), Hayden will bring an urban influence and some diversity to the leadership team of new Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk of rural Cook, and Assistant Majority Leader Katie Sieben of suburban Cottage Grove.
“I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and do the hard work of building consensus and finding the common ground that will move our state forward. We can’t fall back into the political stalemates of recent years,” Hayden said in a statement.
