I am wondering what legal action can be taken against a roommate who has bailed on the lease. Both names are on the lease and I do not want to have bad credit as a result of their stupidity. I am wondering if there is any way I can legally get the money out of them to help cancel the lease. At the place we live in MN we can cancel the lease which is what I am looking into now just to get out of this mess.

First work out something with the landlord to get yourself out of the lease. Once you know what it's going to cost you, file a lawsuit against your former roommate for their share. Make sure you sue for any payments you made on their behalf and also for their half of any damages that might be withheld from the security deposit.

The landlord doesn't care who or which person pays as long as someone pays. If your rooomate bails you are on the hook but could sue the RM in small claims. I'm surprised you have an option to cancel your lease. Are you sure about this and is there any catch to this? Usually you pay until the unit is rerented and that can be some time.