Another possible candidate to replace Mitchell is former Rep. Kelly Fenton, a Republican who held a nearby House seat in the late 2010s. She asked on X after Friday’s verdict, “Is now a good time to make a big announcement?”
Republicans, who have been calling for Mitchell to resign for more than a year, on Monday demanded she step down immediately.
“Senator Mitchell was convicted of two felonies; she doesn’t get to give the Senate two weeks’ notice,” the leading Senate Republican, Mark Johnson of East Grand Forks, said in a news release. “Democrats shielded Mitchell for 15 months to protect their political power, but a jury needed just three hours to confirm what was already clear: she shouldn’t be a senator. Not after April 22, 2024. Not in January of 2025. And not today.”
DeKrey declined to address Johnson’s comments directly, but said Mitchell kept her pledge to resign the seat if she were convicted.
“We put … all our eggs all in the basket of winning a trial. We put on a case that we’re proud of. It didn’t go our way,” he said. “And this is a lesson that once a jury has spoken, you have to be a person of your word and a person of integrity. And I think she’s both of those things.”
DeKrey said it’s very likely Mitchell will serve time in jail. He expects a judge to issue a sentence in September, and said Mitchell will file an appeal after that.
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