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| Elections in Minnesota |
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The 1977 United States House of Representatives special election in Minnesota's 7th congressional district was held on February 22, 1977 to select the successor to Bob Bergland (DFL) who resigned to accept appointment as Secretary of Agriculture under the Carter Administration. Independent-Republican candidate Arlan Stangeland defeated the DFL favorite, Mike Sullivan, in an upset landslide.
On January 22, 1977, Bob Bergland, who had served as the United States representative from Minnesota's 7th congressional district since 1971, resigned in order to accept appointment by President Jimmy Carter as Secretary of Agriculture. All indications prior to the special election seemed to favor the odds that the DFL would hold the district. Bergland won the district in successive landslide victories since its reapportionment following the 1970 census, winning nearly sixty percent of the vote in 1972, over 75 percent in 1974, and 72.34 percent in 1976.
The DFL and the Independent-Republican Party each held special primary elections on February 8. Mike Sullivan, a former staffer for Representative Bergland and former-U.S. Senator/then-Vice President Walter Mondale, defeated former-U.S. Representative Coya Knutson and two other candidates for the DFL nomination. Arlan Stangeland, a farmer who was a delegate to the Republican State conventions from 1964 to 1968, and served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1966 to 1975, easily won the Independent-Republican nomination over Dick Franson, a perennial candidate who had run in various Republican primaries in Minnesota.
During the special election campaign, Stangeland campaigned "on the theme that the heavily rural northwestern Minnesota needed another farmer, like Mr. Bergland, in Congress," [1] and likely benefited from "his lifelong residence in the district, his roots as a farmer in a mostly rural area, and his identification as a Lutheran in an area that is predominantly Protestant." [2]
Sullivan, on the other hand, had relied on the support of establishment Democrats rather than making a grassroots outreach to the voters of the district, and was likely "handicapped by his Roman Catholic faith." [2] Sullivan's religious affiliation particularly became a matter of controversy after bishop Victor Hermann Balke encouraged voters in the Diocese of Crookston to vote for Sullivan, whom he described as "very pro-church," and against Stangeland, whom he described as having a "very negative" voting record in the state house. [1]
In the end, Stangeland won the election with a landslide 71,251 votes to Sullivan's 43,467, taking the DFL and most outside observers, who expected that Bergland's broad support from three months earlier would translate into an easy victory for Sullivan, by surprise.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Mike Sullivan | 27,754 | 78.44% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Coya Gjesdal Knutson | 4,503 | 12.73% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Bill Kjeldahl | 2,819 | 7.97% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | F. E. "Fritz" Anderson | 305 | 0.86% | |
| Total votes | 35,381 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ind.-Republican | Arlan Stangeland | 15,382 | 96.71% | |
| Ind.-Republican | Richard "Dick" Franson | 524 | 3.29% | |
| Total votes | 15,906 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ind.-Republican | Arlan Stangeland | 71,340 | 57.58% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Mike Sullivan | 45,490 | 36.72% | |
| American | James Born | 6,105 | 4.93% | |
| Independent | Jack Bilbeau | 963 | 0.78% | |
| Total votes | 123,898 | 100.00% | ||
The 1984 United States presidential election was the 50th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 1984. Incumbent Republican President Ronald Reagan and his running mate, incumbent Vice President George H.W. Bush, were re-elected to a second term in a landslide. They defeated the Democratic ticket of former Vice President Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro.
Collin Clark Peterson is an American accountant, politician, and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 7th congressional district from 1991 to 2021. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL). he was chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture from 2019 to 2021 and previously holding the office from 2007 to 2011; he had been ranking member from 2011 to 2019 and 2005 to 2007. Peterson was the most senior U.S. Representative from Minnesota and the dean of Minnesota's congressional delegation. In 2020, Peterson was defeated by Michelle Fischbach, ending his 30-year tenure in the United States House of Representatives. In 2022, Peterson registered as a federal lobbyist after opening an eponymous consulting firm.
The 1978 United States Senate elections were held on November 7, in the middle of Democratic President Jimmy Carter's term. The 33 seats of Class 2 were contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies.
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Cornelia Genevive Gjesdal "Coya" Knutson was an American politician from the U.S. state of Minnesota. She served two terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives, from 1951 to 1955, before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 9th congressional district as a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL). She served two terms there, in the 84th and 85th Congresses,.
Arlan Inghart Stangeland was an American politician from Minnesota. As a Republican, Stangeland served in the United States House of Representatives from February 22, 1977 to January 3, 1991. He lost his campaign for reelection in the 1990 House election and subsequently retired from politics.
Odin Elsford Stanley Langen was an American politician from the state of Minnesota. He served six terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1959 to 1971.
Louis Wangberg is an American educator who was the 41st lieutenant governor of Minnesota. He was elected on the Independent-Republican ticket with Governor Al Quie and served from January 1, 1979, to January 3, 1983. He also served as Quie's chief of staff for part of the term until he sought the governor's office on his own. In 1982, when Quie chose not to run for reelection, Wangberg was the Independent-Republican endorsed candidate for governor, but lost the primary to Wheelock Whitney.
Minnesota is known for a politically active citizenry, with populism being a longstanding force among the state's political parties. Minnesota has consistently high voter turnout; in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, 77.8% of eligible Minnesotans voted – the highest percentage of any U.S. state or territory – versus the national average of 61.7%. This was due in part to its same day voter registration laws; previously unregistered voters can register on election day, at their polls, with evidence of residency.
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Electoral history of Walter Mondale, who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States (1977–1981); as a United States senator from Minnesota (1964–1976), and as the 23rd attorney general of Minnesota (1960–1964).
The 1976 United States presidential election in Minnesota took place on November 2, 1976 as part of the 1976 United States presidential election. Voters chose ten electors, or representatives to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
The 2004 congressional elections in Minnesota were held on November 2, 2004, to determine who would represent the state of Minnesota in the United States House of Representatives.
The 1956 United States presidential election in Minnesota took place on November 6, 1956, as part of the 1956 United States presidential election. Voters chose 11 electors, or representatives to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the eight U.S. representatives from the state of Minnesota, one from each of the state's eight congressional districts. The elections coincided with an open gubernatorial election, a U.S. Senate election, a special U.S. Senate election, State House elections, and other elections.
The 1966 United States Senate election in Minnesota took place on November 8, 1966. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Walter Mondale, who had originally been appointed in 1964 to replace Hubert Humphrey after Humphrey was elected Vice President of the United States, defeated Republican challenger Robert A. Forsythe, to win a full term.
The 1978 United States Senate special election in Minnesota was held on November 7, 1978. Democratic candidate Bob Short was defeated by Republican candidate David Durenberger.
The 2018 United States Senate special election in Minnesota took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a United States senator from Minnesota to replace incumbent Democratic senator Al Franken until the regular expiration of the term on January 3, 2021. Facing multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, Franken announced on December 7, 2017, that he would resign effective January 2, 2018. Governor Mark Dayton appointed Franken's successor, Tina Smith, on December 13, 2017, and she ran in the special election. This election coincided with a regularly scheduled U.S. Senate election for the Class 1 Senate seat, U.S. House elections, a gubernatorial election, State House elections, and other elections.
The 1998 Minnesota Attorney General election was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1998 to elect the Minnesota Attorney General for a four-year term. Incumbent DFL Attorney General Skip Humphrey ran for governor, and DFLer Mike Hatch won the election to replace him. The election marked the eighth attorney general race in a row won by the DFL since 1970.
