2000 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota

2000 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota

←  1998 November 7, 2000 (2000-11-07) 2002  →
All 8 Minnesota seats to the United States House of Representatives
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Last election 6 seats 2 seats Seats before 5 2 Seats won 5 3 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 1,234,204 993,371 Percentage 52.21% 42.02%
District results County results Democratic   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90% Republican   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%

Map of Minnesota showing all eight districts

The 2000 congressional elections in Minnesota were held on November 7, 2000 to determine who would represent the state of Minnesota in the United States House of Representatives.

Minnesota had eight seats in the House, apportioned according to the 1990 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 107th Congress from January 3, 2001 until January 3, 2003. The election coincided with the 2000 presidential election and the 2000 U.S. Senate election.

Except for DFLer David Minge of the 2nd congressional district, all other House incumbents from Minnesota who stood for reelection were reelected. Minge's seat came under the control of the Republican Party of Minnesota as a result of the 2000 election. DFL incumbent Bruce Vento of the 4th congressional district died in office less than a month prior to the election; however, he was not seeking reelection, and the DFL nominee running for election to replace him, Betty McCollum, was able to keep the seat in the DFL's hands.

Overview

Statewide

Party		Candidates	Votes [1]		Seats
			No.	%	No.	+/–	%
	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	8	1,234,204	52.21	5	1	62.50
	Republican	8	993,371	42.02	3	1	37.50
	Independence	3	75,097	3.18	0		0.0
	Constitution	6	24,248	1.03	0		0.0
	Other	1	19,667	0.83	0		0.0
	Libertarian	4	17,151	0.73	0		0.0
Total		30	2,363,738	100.0	8		100.0

Popular vote

Democratic			52.21%
Republican			42.02%
Independence			3.18%
Other			2.58%

House seats

Democratic			62.50%
Republican			37.50%

District 1

2000 Minnesota's 1st congressional district election

←  1998 2002  →

Nominee Gil Gutknecht Mary Rieder Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 159,835 117,946 Percentage 56.4% 41.6%

Precinct results Gutknecht:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Rieder:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     >90% Tie:     40–50%     50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Gil Gutknecht Republican Elected U.S. Representative Gil Gutknecht Republican

See also: Minnesota's 1st congressional district

Incumbent Republican Gil Gutknecht, who had represented Minnesota's 1st congressional district since 1994, ran against Mary Rieder of the DFL and Rich Osness of the Libertarian Party.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Gil Gutknecht, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Gil Gutknecht (Incumbent)	17,824	100.0
Total votes			17,824	100.0

DFL primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Mary Rieder, economics professor at Winona State University and nominee for this seat in 1998

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Mary Rieder	31,244	100.0
Total votes			31,244	100.0

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Rich Osness, photographer, business owner and nominee for state senate, District 27 in 1996

General election

Results

Gutknecht won a fourth term, defeating second-place Rieder by a landslide margin of nearly 15 percent, as Osness placed at a very distant third.

Minnesota's 1st Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Gil Gutknecht (Incumbent)	159,835	56.4
	Democratic (DFL)	Mary Rieder	117,946	41.6
	Libertarian	Rich Osness	5,440	1.9
Total votes			283,221	100.0
	Republican hold

District 2

2000 Minnesota's 2nd congressional district election

←  1998 2002  →

Nominee Mark Kennedy David Minge Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 138,957 138,802 Percentage 48.1% 48.0%

Precinct results Kennedy:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Minge:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Tie:     40–50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election David Minge Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Mark Kennedy Republican

See also: Minnesota's 2nd congressional district

Incumbent DFLer David Minge, who was first elected in 1992, ran against Mark Kennedy of the Republican Party, Gerald W. Brekke of the Independence Party, Ron Helwig of the Libertarian Party, and Dennis A. Burda of the Constitution Party.

DFL primary

Candidates

Nominee

• David Minge, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	David Minge (Incumbent)	30,089	100.0
Total votes			30,089	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Mark Kennedy, business executive

Eliminated in primary

• Joe Wagner, Scott County Commissioner

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark Kennedy	13,779	79.3
	Republican	Joe Wagner	3,598	20.7
Total votes			17,377	100.0

Independence primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Gerald Brekke, retired professor at Gustavus Adolphus College and Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 1976 and for Minnesota Secretary of State in 1978

Eliminated in primary

• Stan Bentz, perennial candidate

Results

Independence Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independence	Gerald W. Brekke	292	52.6
	Independence	Stan Bentz	263	47.4
Total votes			555	100.0

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Ron Helwig, software engineer

Constitution primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Dennis Burda, computer network specialist

Results

Constitution Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Constitution	Dennis Burda	170	100.0
Total votes			170	100.0

General election

Results

Kennedy dashed Minge's hopes for a fifth term, defeating the incumbent by a razor-thin margin of six one hundredths of one percent of the vote, while Brekke finished a very distant third, and Helwig and Burda, respectively, finished an even more distant fourth and fifth.

Minnesota's 2nd Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark Kennedy	138,957	48.1
	Democratic (DFL)	David Minge (Incumbent)	138,802	48.0
	Independence	Gerald Brekke	7,875	2.7
	Libertarian	Ron Helwig	1,929	0.7
	Constitution	Dennis Burda	1,337	0.5
Total votes			288,900	100.0
	Republican gain from Democratic (DFL)

District 3

2000 Minnesota's 3rd congressional district election

←  1998 2002  →

Nominee Jim Ramstad Sue Shuff Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 222,571 98,219 Percentage 67.6% 29.8%

Precinct results Ramstad:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Shuff:     40–50%     50–60%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Jim Ramstad Republican Elected U.S. Representative Jim Ramstad Republican

See also: Minnesota's 3rd congressional district

Incumbent Republican Jim Ramstad, who was first elected in 1990, faced off against Sue Shuff of the DFL, Bob Odden of the Libertarian Party, and Arne Niska of the Constitution Party.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jim Ramstad, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Ramstad (Incumbent)	13,995	100.0
Total votes			13,995	100.0

DFL primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Sue Shuff, facilitator

Eliminated in primary

• Darryl Stanton, entrepreneur and inventor

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Sue Shuff	29,841	74.5
	Democratic (DFL)	Darryl Stanton	10,197	25.5
Total votes			40,038	100.0

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Bob Odden, business safety consultant and nominee for State Senate, District 62 in 1996 and for State Auditor in 1998

Constitution primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Arne Niska, electrical engineer

Results

Constitution Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Constitution	Arne Niska	111	100.0
Total votes			111	100.0

General election

Results

Ramstad had no difficulty winning a sixth term in Congress, as he defeated Shuff by a 37.79 percent margin, while Odden finished a distant third and Niska finished slightly behind Odden.

Minnesota's 3rd Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Ramstad (Incumbent)	222,571	67.6
	Democratic (DFL)	Sue Shuff	98,219	29.9
	Libertarian	Bob Odden	5,302	1.6
	Constitution	Arne Niska	2,970	0.9
Total votes			329,062	100.0
	Republican hold

District 4

2000 Minnesota's 4th congressional district election

←  1998 2002  →

Nominee Betty McCollum Linda Runbeck Tom Foley Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Independence Popular vote 130,403 83,852 55,899 Percentage 48.0% 30.9% 20.6%

Precinct results McCollum:     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Runbeck:     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Bruce Vento Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Betty McCollum Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 4th congressional district

Incumbent DFLer Bruce Vento died in office on October 10, 2000, less than a month before the election. However, as Vento was not seeking reelection, it was not necessary for any special election to be held or for the DFL to select another candidate. Betty McCollum had been selected in the DFL primary to seek election to replace Vento. Opposing McCollum were Linda Runbeck of the Republican Party, Tom Foley of the Independence Party, and Nicholas Skrivanek of the Constitution Party.

DFL primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Betty McCollum, state representative from district 55B

Eliminated in primary

• Chris Coleman, St. Paul City Councilor and attorney
• Cathie Hartnett, St. Paul School Board member
• Steve Novak, state senator from district 52

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Betty McCollum	35,911	50.4
	Democratic (DFL)	Steven Novak	16,332	22.9
	Democratic (DFL)	Chris Coleman	13,555	19.0
	Democratic (DFL)	Cathie Hartnett	5,454	7.7
Total votes			71,252	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Linda Runbeck, state senator from district 53

Eliminated in primary

• Mary Jane Reagan, writer, retired school teacher, nominee for this seat in 1984, candidate in 1992, for Minnesota Secretary of State in 1986 and for Governor in 1990

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Linda Runbeck	10,722	86.2
	Republican	Mary Jane Reagan	1,713	13.8
Total votes			12,435	100.0

Independence primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Tom Foley, former Ramsey County and Washington County attorney, DFL candidate for U.S. Senate in 1994 and for Lieutenant Governor in 1998

Eliminated in primary

• Pam Ellison, directory assistance operator

Results

Independence Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independence	Tom Foley	750	63.3
	Independence	Pam Ellison	434	36.7
Total votes			1,184	100.0

Constitution primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Nicholas Skrivanek

Results

Constitution Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Constitution	Nicholas Skrivanek	114	100.0
Total votes			114	100.0

General election

Results

McCollum did not face any great difficulty keeping the seat (which represented a very liberal population centered around St. Paul) in DFL hands. McCollum defeated Runbeck by a margin of more than 17 percent of the vote. Due to a surprisingly strong showing by Foley (who finished about 10 percent behind Runbeck), McCollum was able to win by such a large margin while simultaneously failing to secure a majority of the vote.

Minnesota's 4th Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Betty McCollum	130,403	48.0
	Republican	Linda Runbeck	83,852	30.9
	Independence	Tom Foley	55,899	20.6
	Constitution	Nicholas Skrivanek	1,285	0.5
Total votes			271,439	100.0
	Democratic (DFL) hold

District 5

2000 Minnesota's 5th congressional district election

←  1998 2002  →

Nominee Martin Olav Sabo Frank Taylor Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 176,629 58,191 Percentage 69.2% 22.8%

Precinct results Sabo:     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Taylor:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Martin Olav Sabo Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Martin Olav Sabo Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 5th congressional district

Incumbent DFLer Martin Sabo, who was first elected in 1978, faced absolutely no difficulty in winning his 12th term as the representative of the very liberal 5th congressional district, which was centered around Minneapolis.

DFL primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Martin Olav Sabo, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Martin Olav Sabo (Incumbent)	55,879	100.0
Total votes			55,879	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Frank Taylor, teacher and nominee for this seat in 1998

Eliminated in primary

• Chris Flynn, retired accountant and candidate for this seat in 1996

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Frank Taylor	4,837	63.2
	Republican	Chris Flynn	2,815	36.8
Total votes			7,652	100.0

Independence primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Rob Tomich, cashier

Results

Independence Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independence	Rob Tomich	698	100.0
Total votes			698	100.0

Constitution primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Renee Lavoi, counselor and psychotherapist

Results

Constitution Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Constitution	Renee Lavoi	128	100.0
Total votes			128	100.0

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Chuck Charnstrom, insurance broker

General election

Results

Although he was faced, in the general election, with a very crowded field of challengers, Sabo was able to win over 69 percent of the vote, and defeated second-place Republican Frank Taylor by an overwhelming 46.42 percent margin.

Minnesota's 5th Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Martin Olav Sabo (Incumbent)	176,629	69.2
	Republican	Frank Taylor	58,191	22.8
	Independence	Rob Tomich	11,323	4.4
	Constitution	Renee Lavoi	4,522	1.8
	Libertarian	Chuck Charnstrom	4,480	1.8
Total votes			255,145	100.0
	Democratic (DFL) hold

District 6

2000 Minnesota's 6th congressional district election

←  1998 2002  →

Nominee Bill Luther John Kline Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 176,340 170,900 Percentage 49.6% 48.0%

Precinct results Luther:     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Kline:     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Tie:     40–50%     50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Bill Luther Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Bill Luther Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 6th congressional district

Incumbent Democrat Bill Luther, who was first elected as the U.S. representative from the 6th congressional district in 1994, faced an extremely close challenge in 2000.

DFL primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Bill Luther, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Bill Luther (Incumbent)	45,378	100.0
Total votes			45,378	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• John Kline, retired United States Marine Corps Colonel and nominee for this seat in 1998

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Kline	19,029	100.0
Total votes			19,029	100.0

Constitution primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Ralph Hubbard, retired United States Post Service worker

Results

Constitution Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Constitution	Ralph Hubbard	242	100.0
Total votes			242	100.0

General election

Results

Luther won reelection for his fourth term in Congress by a razor-thin margin, defeating Republican challenger John Kline by a margin of just 1.53 percent of the vote.

Minnesota's 6th Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Bill Luther (Incumbent)	176,340	49.6
	Republican	John Kline	170,900	48.0
	Constitution	Ralph Hubbard	8,584	2.4
Total votes			355,824	100.0
	Democratic (DFL) hold

District 7

2000 Minnesota's 7th congressional district election

←  1998 2002  →

Nominee Collin Peterson Glen Menze Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 185,771 79,175 Percentage 68.7% 29.3%

Precinct results Peterson:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Menze:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70% Tie:     40–50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Collin Peterson Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Collin Peterson Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 7th congressional district

Incumbent DFLer Collin Peterson, who was first elected in 1990, faced no difficulty winning his sixth term in Congress, defeating Republican challenger Glen Menze by a landslide 39.41 percent margin.

DFL primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Collin Peterson, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Collin Peterson (Incumbent)	33,948	100.0
Total votes			33,948	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Glen Menze, farmer, rental property business operator and Starbuck School Board member

Eliminated in primary

• Aleta Edin, Paynesville City Councilor and nominee for this seat in 1998 and for State Senate, District 14 in 1992

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Glen Menze	10,258	65.4
	Republican	Aleta Edin	5,433	34.6
Total votes			15,691	100.0

Constitution primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Owen Sivertson, Integrity Windows employee

Results

Constitution Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Constitution	Owen Sivertson	141	100.0
Total votes			141	100.0

General election

Results

Minnesota's 7th Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Collin Peterson (Incumbent)	185,771	68.7
	Republican	Glen Menze	79,175	29.3
	Constitution	Owen Sivertson	5,550	2.1
Total votes			270,496	100.0
	Democratic (DFL) hold

District 8

2000 Minnesota's 8th congressional district election

←  1998 2002  →

Nominee Jim Oberstar Bob Lemen Mike Darling Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Independent Popular vote 210,094 79,890 19,667 Percentage 67.8% 25.8% 6.4%

Precinct results Oberstar:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Lemen:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     >90% Tie:     40–50%     50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Jim Oberstar Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Jim Oberstar Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 8th congressional district

Incumbent DFLer Jim Oberstar, who was first elected in 1974, had no difficulty winning his 14th term in Congress, defeating Republican challenger Bob Lemen by a margin of more than 42 percent.

DFL primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jim Oberstar, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	James L. Oberstar (Incumbent)	64,189	100.0
Total votes			64,189	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Robert N. Lemen, businessman and former state representative

Eliminated in primary

• Warren L. Nelson, engineering consultant

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Robert Lemen	7,197	50.1
	Republican	Warren Nelson	7,179	49.9
Total votes			14,376	100.0

Other Candidates

• Mike Darling (Independent), personal finance analyst

General election

Results

Minnesota's 8th Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Jim Oberstar (Incumbent)	210,094	67.9
	Republican	Bob Lemen	79,890	25.8
	Independent	Mike Darling	19,667	6.4
Total votes			309,651	100.0
	Democratic (DFL) hold

References

1. "Home - Election Results".
2. "Home - Election Results".

External links

• Minnesota Historical Election Archive