Paul Gazelka hosted a COVID-19 superspreader event. Now he'd like to lead Minnesota's pandemic [View all]

Paul Gazelka hosted a COVID-19 superspreader event. Now he’d like to lead Minnesota’s pandemic response.


Minn. Sen. Majority Leader Paul Gazelka thinks he can run the state’s pandemic response better than Gov. Tim Walz. The task is especially difficult, as Minnesota recently led the U.S. in the 7-day infection rate. But how Gazelka managed an outbreak after a GOP dinner in November raises questions about his judgement and ability to steer the state through the pandemic.

Last November, Gazelka held a large, maskless dinner party with members of the Minnesota Senate GOP on election night while state was experiencing a second wave of the virus. The party lasted for hours, with many Republican state senators in attendance to celebrate the state GOP keeping its small majority in the chamber. Days later, it was clear the dinner became a COVID-19 superspreader event, with at least three senators and multiple state capitol staff members testing positive.

Gazelka announced that he tested positive ten days later, after he and his wife traveled via air to Florida for an out-of-state trip. According to his statement, he was symptomatic for almost a week prior, which includes the time the Minnesota Senate met for a special session.

Lead Senate Republicans, including Gazelka, reportedly did not share the news of the outbreak with Democratic-Farmer-Labor state legislators. The DFL members only learned of the outbreak through local news reports days after the special session concluded, already exposed to the virus.

Read more: https://heartlandsignal.com/2021/11/26/paul-gazelka-hosted-a-covid-19-superspreader-event-now-hed-like-to-lead-minnesotas-pandemic-response/