Michel Named Interim Senate Majority Leader

In the wake of Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch's (R-Buffalo) announcement she was resigning from her post immediately, Edina's own Sen. Geoff Michel has been named interim leader of the Republican caucus.

Michel touched on the impetus behind Koch's departure during a press conference Friday, citing "multiple reports" of an alleged inappropriate relationship with a Senate staff member. Michel said he and fellow GOP leaders confronted Koch Wednesday evening regarding the allegations, but did not expect Koch to resign from her post.

"We were as surprised as the rest of you to get Sen. Koch's resignation," Michel said.

MPR reports Koch neither confirmed nor denied the allegations when confronted by GOP colleagues. During Friday's press conference, GOP leaders declined to name the male staffer allegedly involved.

According to MinnPost, Michel is not a lock to replace the outgoing Koch. 

Although Michel has been the colleague most often seen at Koch's shoulder at news events, he would not necessarily be the caucus choice to replace her. The huge Republican rookie class is very conservative and has a lot of clout.

Recall, there were 21 Republican freshman elected in 2010, meaning that group makes up the majority of the 37-member Republican majority.

Michel may not pass the true-believer test with that group.

The caucus is expected to elect a new leader by Dec. 29.