2016 Minnesota Senate district 35 special election

District 35 special election, 2016

←  2012 February 9, 2016 (2016-02-09) November 2016  →
The District 35 seat in the Minnesota Senate
DFL Nominee Jim Abeler Roger Johnson Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 3,237 947 Percentage 73.69% 21.56%
Precinct Results Abeler:     60-70%     70-80%     80-90%
Senator before election Branden Petersen Republican Elected Senator Jim Abeler Republican

A special election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on February 9, 2016, to elect a new senator for District 35 in the Minnesota Senate, caused by the resignation of Senator Branden Petersen, effective on October 31, 2015. A primary election was held on January 12, 2016, to nominate a Republican Party of Minnesota candidate. Former state representative Jim Abeler, the Republican nominee, won the special election.

Candidates

Republican Party of Minnesota

The Senate District 35 Republican Party held a convention to endorse a candidate on November 14. ^[1] Andy Aplikowski won the endorsement after four rounds of balloting. Former state representative Jim Abeler said he would continue to seek the Republican nomination. ^[2] Don Huizenga was undecided on whether he would continue to seek the nomination, but ultimately did not file a candidacy. Brad Sunderland said he would abide by the endorsement. ^[3]

• Jim Abeler, former state representative and candidate for the 2014 U.S. Senate Republican nomination ^[4]
• Andy Aplikowski, party activist ^[4]

Withdrawn

• Alex Huffman, business owner and former U.S. Army serviceman ^{[5] [6]}
• Don Huizenga, party activist ^[4]
• Reid Oines ^{[1] [7]}
• Brad Sunderland, chair of the Senate District 35 Republican Party ^{[8] [3]}

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

The Senate District 35 Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party endorsed Roger Johnson on December 16, 2015.

• Roger Johnson, community activist ^[9]

Legal Marijuana Now Party

• Zach Phelps ^[10]

Primary election results

District 35 special primary election, 2016 [11]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican Party of Minnesota	Jim Abeler	2,818	60.93
		Andy Aplikowski	1,807	39.07
		Subtotal	4,625	100.00
	Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party	Roger Johnson	282	100.00
Total			4,907	100.00

Results

Minnesota Senate District 35 special election, 2016 [12]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆pp
	Republican Party of Minnesota	Jim Abeler	3,237	73.69	+19.48
	Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party	Roger Johnson	947	21.56	−24.07
	Legal Marijuana Now Party	Zach Phelps	180	4.10	+4.10
	Write-in	N/A	29	0.66	+0.50
Total			4,393	100.00	±0.00

Previous election results

Minnesota Senate election, 2012: District 35 [13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆pp
	Republican Party of Minnesota	Branden Petersen	22,874	54.21	−6.38
	Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party	Peter Perovich	19,253	45.63	+6.33
	Write-in	N/A	69	0.16	+0.05
Total			42,196	100.00	±0.00

See also

• List of special elections to the Minnesota Senate

References

1. Brucato, Cyndy (November 5, 2015). "Facing long odds, a DFL lifer gets his shot in Senate District 35". MinnPost . Retrieved November 7, 2015.
2. Brucato, Cyndy (November 16, 2015). "Value of GOP endorsement to be tested in race for Petersen's old Senate seat". MinnPost . Retrieved November 16, 2015.
3. Moran-Froemming, Mandy (November 16, 2015). "Senate District 35 Republicans endorse Aplikowski". ABC Newspapers. ECM Publishers. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
4. Stassen-Berger, Rachel E. (October 16, 2015). "February special election set for Sen. Petersen's seat". Pioneer Press . Retrieved October 23, 2015.
5. "Huffman announces candidacy for GOP endorsement in SD 35". ABC Newspapers. ECM Publishers. September 19, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
6. "It is my regret to say that, after careful consideration, I am withdrawing my candidacy and will not be pursuing the GOP endorsement in November. A new job has come my way with a schedule that will not be conducive to me serving as a State Senator. Thank you to all of my supporters". Facebook . Huffman for Senate. October 27, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
7. Oines, Reid (October 29, 2015). "Important State Senate Special Election News". Reid Oines for State Senate Campaign Committee. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
8. Steller, Chris (November 9, 2015). "Another Republican joins race to replace Sen. Petersen" . Politics in Minnesota. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
9. "Johnson to seek DFL endorsement in SD 35". ABC Newspapers. ECM Publishers. October 18, 2015. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
10. "State Senate District 35 Special Election". Minnesota Secretary of State. Archived from the original on December 20, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
11. "Results for State Senator District 35". Minnesota Secretary of State . Retrieved January 12, 2016.
12. "Results for State Senator District 35". Minnesota Secretary of State . Retrieved February 9, 2016.
13. "Results for State Senator District 35". Minnesota Secretary of State . Retrieved September 24, 2015.

External links

• Information on the special election Archived 2015-10-18 at the Wayback Machine at the Minnesota Secretary of State website