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Justin Eichorn resigned from the Minnesota Senate yesterday, preempting a bipartisan effort to expel him if he didn’t. His resignation was effective immediately.  The former GOP senator from Grand Rapids was arrested Monday on a federal charge of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. His move will spur a special election in the northern Minnesota Senate district. And, for now, it leaves the Senate in a split of 34 Democrats and 32 Republicans. Leaders from both parties said they were relieved they didn’t have to cast what could be the first vote to expel a member. They said the seriousness of the charge is what convinced them to take quick action. In all likelihood, the seat won’t be filled before the middle of May at the earliest. We’ll know when Gov. Tim Walz sets the special election. Dana and Clay have it all rounded up here.

Of note on the special election watch, House GOP leaders said they’re keeping their eyes on members in that Senate district that might try to make the jump. With a 67-67 split in the House, it could give Democrats a temporary advantage if either Reps. Josh Heintzeman or Ben Davis ran and won the seat. That grew less likely later Thursday when Keri Heintzeman, the wife of House member Josh Heintzema, became the first to open a campaign . A special election date has not yet been set. Republicans would be favored in the district. Eichorn had held the District 6 seat since 2017.

Eichorn’s resignation also opens up the top spot on the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation advisory board. He had been the chair since earlier this year, but now that he’s no longer a legislator he is ineligible. The board will choose a new chair, the Star Tribune reports. The important northern Minnesota development agency helps steer millions of dollars per year from state taconite tax proceeds.

The resignation came a couple of hours before Justin Eichorn’s first court hearing. As these things go, it was quick. Eichorn told the judge he understood the charge he was facing. He was ordered held until he could arrange a suitable halfway house. The married father of four was also given conditions. He must be kept under GPS surveillance, restricted from using the internet. He can’t possess any firearms. He will surrender his passport and travel documents and be unable to be around people under the age of 18 without supervision of an adult who understands his charges. Eichorn’s next hearing is March 26.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is taking heat for comments about relishing the fall of Tesla's stock price. He has been vigorously criticizing Tesla owner Elon Musk over his role in the Trump administration's efforts to slash government.  According to a state report last summer, Minnesota's public investment portfolio included more than 1.6 million shares of the automaker's stock. That means the stock price matters to the state’s portfolio size, although that’s measured in the tens of billions of dollars. As governor, Walz chairs the State Board of Investment. Walz spoke this week at a political event in Wisconsin, saying he gets a boost out of watching Tesla's share price fall. Republicans say he's rooting against state financial interests. Clay Masters asked Walz if the state would sell its stock. “No, I don't believe in divestment. That's a decision totally unrelated to anything,” Walz said. The SBI meets on Friday.

The Trump administration’s plan to gut the Department of Education is the latest flashpoint. President Trump signed an executive order  Thursday hollowing out the agency that he can’t kill outright without the blessing of Congress. "We're going to be returning education, very simply, back to the states where it belongs," Trump said at the White House. But Democrats signaled they’ll portray the move differently. There was an avalanche of press releases saying it represented a pullback in public backing of public education and could put protections for special education students at risk. Lawsuits are expected.