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Elections in Minnesota |
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A general election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on November 6, 2018. All of Minnesota's executive officers were up for election as well as all the seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives, several judicial seats, two United States Senate seats, Minnesota's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives, and several seats for local offices. Special elections were also held for a Minnesota Senate seat and Minnesota's Class 2 U.S. Senate seat. A primary election to nominate Republican and Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) candidates and several judicial and local primary elections were held on August 14, 2018.
The DFL has held all of Minnesota's executive offices since 2011 after Mark Dayton was elected governor in the 2010 gubernatorial election. They have held the office of attorney general since 1971 and the offices of secretary of state and state auditor since 2007. The Republicans have controlled the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2015 and the Minnesota Senate since 2017.
The DFL has held both of Minnesota's U.S. Senate seats since 2009 when Al Franken defeated Republican incumbent Norm Coleman after a protracted recount following the 2008 election. Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith was appointed in January 2018 to replace Franken after he resigned following sexual harassment allegations. The DFL has held Minnesota's other U.S. Senate seat since 2001, when Mark Dayton defeated Republican incumbent Rod Grams in 2000. Dayton did not seek re-election in the 2006 election and was succeeded by Amy Klobuchar in 2007.
The Republican and DFL parties held caucuses on February 6, 2018, in which eligible voters elected delegates that subsequently endorsed candidates at conventions held later in the year. Both parties also held a nonbinding preference ballot for governor. [1]
Elections for state and federal offices were held via first-past-the-post voting, each producing a single winner. Nominations for parties with major party status, the Republican and DFL parties, were determined by an open primary election. The candidate that won the most votes in each party became their party's nominee in the general election. If only a single candidate sought the nomination for each party, those candidates were automatically nominated and a primary election for that office was not held. Candidates for major parties had automatic ballot access. Candidates for other parties and independents were nominated by petition.
Judicial and local elections were held via the nonpartisan blanket primary. The top-two candidates that won the most votes in the primary election advanced to the general election. If not more than two candidates sought election to the same office, a primary election was not held. In multiple-winner elections, the top number of candidates that won the most votes in the primary election that were twice the number of candidates to be elected advanced to the general election. If not more than twice the number of candidates to be elected sought election, a primary election was not held. Some cities, school districts, and all townships and hospital districts did not hold a primary election, regardless of the number of candidates. Judicial and local elections were nonpartisan.
The candidate filing period was from May 22 through June 5, 2018. The filing period for cities, townships, school districts, and hospital districts that do not hold a primary election was from July 31 through August 14, 2018. [2]
Incumbent DFL Senator Amy Klobuchar sought re-election. State Representative Jim Newberger was the Republican nominee. [3] Other candidates included Green Party candidate Paula Overby [4] and Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate Dennis Schuller. [5] Candidates who lost the primary election for the Republican nomination include Merrill Anderson, [6] Rae Hart Anderson, [6] and Rocky De La Fuente. [6] Candidates who lost the primary election for the DFL nomination include Steve Carlson, [6] Stephen Emery, [6] David Robert Groves, [6] and Leonard Richards. [7] Klobuchar won re-election to a third term.
On December 7, 2017, incumbent DFL Senator Al Franken announced he would resign. [8] On December 13, DFL Governor Mark Dayton announced that he would appoint Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith to replace Franken, [9] assuming office on January 3, 2018. [10]
Smith sought election to the seat in the special election held alongside the general election to serve the remainder of Franken's term, expiring on January 3, 2021. State Senator Karin Housley was the Republican nominee. [3] Other candidates included Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate Sarah Wellington [5] and independent candidate Jerry Trooien. [11] Candidates who lost the primary election for the Republican nomination include Bob Anderson and [12] Nikolay Bey. [6] Candidates who lost the primary election for the DFL nomination include Richard Painter, [13] Ali Chehem Ali, [6] Gregg Iverson, [6] Nick Leonard, [14] and Christopher Seymore. [6] Smith won election to the remaining two years of Franken's original six-year term.
Minnesota's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election. The DFL held five seats and the Republicans held three seats prior to the election. Both parties gained and lost two seats, resulting in no net change in the number of seats held by each party.
Incumbent DFL Governor Mark Dayton did not seek re-election, but was eligible to do so.
Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson was the Republican nominee and U.S. Representative Tim Walz was the DFL nominee. [15] Other candidates included Grassroots–Legalize Cannabis Party candidate Chris Wright [5] and Libertarian Party candidate Josh Welter. [16] Candidates who lost the primary election for the Republican nomination include former governor Tim Pawlenty [17] and Matt Kruse. [16] Candidates who lost the primary election for the DFL nomination include State Representative Erin Murphy, [18] Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson, [19] Tim Holden, [16] and Olé Savior. [16] Walz won the election.
Incumbent DFL secretary of state Steve Simon announced on January 23, 2018, that he would seek re-election. [20] Former state senator John Howe was the Republican nominee. [21] William Denney sought election as an Independence Party candidate. [16] Simon won re-election to a second term.
Incumbent DFL state auditor Rebecca Otto announced on January 9, 2017, that she would not seek re-election and would seek election to be governor. [22]
Former state representative Pam Myhra was the Republican nominee. [23] Julie Blaha was the DFL nominee. [24] Other candidates included Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate Michael Ford [5] and Libertarian Party candidate Chris Dock. [16] Blaha won the election. [25]
Incumbent DFL attorney general Lori Swanson announced on January 28, 2018, that she would seek re-election. [26] On June 4, 2018, Swanson announced that she would not seek re-election and instead seek election to be governor. [19]
Former state representative Doug Wardlow was the Republican nominee and U.S. Representative Keith Ellison was the DFL nominee. [27] Noah Johnson sought election as a Grassroots–Legalize Cannabis Party candidate. [28] Candidates who lost the primary election for the Republican nomination include Sharon Anderson [29] and former state senator Bob Lessard. [30] Candidates who lost the primary election for the DFL nomination include State Representative Debra Hilstrom, [31] former Ramsey County attorney Tom Foley, [32] Matt Pelikan, [33] and former commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce Mike Rothman. [34] Ellison won the election.
A special election was held for District 13 in the Minnesota Senate. The special election determined which political party would control the Senate as the vacancy to be filled left the Senate equally divided between the Republicans and the DFL. Jeff Howe, the Republican nominee, won the special election, preserving a one-seat Republican majority.
All 134 seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. The Republicans held a majority of 77 seats and the DFL held 57 seats prior to the election. The DFL won a majority of 75 seats and the Republicans won 59 seats, ending a four-year Republican majority.
Four seats on the Minnesota Supreme Court were up for election. Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea and Justice Barry Anderson both won re-election unopposed. Justices Margaret Chutich and Anne McKeig were both elected in their first election following their appointments. Six seats on the Minnesota Court of Appeals and several seats on the Minnesota District Courts were also up for election.
Justice Chutich faced a challenge from conservative Michelle MacDonald, whom she beat 55.9% to 43.7%. Court of Appeals Justice Lucinda Ellen Jesson faced a challenge from human-rights lawyer Anthony L. Brown, whom she defeated 62.7% to 37.0%.
Elections for several subdivisions were held—including elections for counties, municipalities, school districts, and hospital districts.
All 87 counties held regular elections. 54 counties held primary elections. Seven counties also held special elections on the day of the general election. [35]
All counties held elections for:
Some counties held elections for one or more of the following:
826 cities and 638 townships held regular elections. 29 cities held primary elections. 118 cities and 49 townships held special elections. Oakdale and Red Wing held special elections on both days of the primary election and general election. Benson and Saint Paul did not have regularly scheduled elections, but each held a special election on the day of the primary election. All other special elections were held on the day of the general election. [36] Minnetonka Beach and Motley each had a ballot question on the day of the primary election. [37] [38] 47 cities and 23 townships had ballot questions on the day of the general election. [39]
Cities held elections for one or more of the following:
Townships held elections for one or more of the following:
284 school districts held regular elections to elect half of the members of their board of directors. Six school districts held primary elections. Braham, Eden Prairie, and Holdingford did not have regularly scheduled elections, but each held a special election on the day of the general election. 24 other school districts also held special elections on the day of the general election. [40] Five school districts had ballot questions on the day of the primary election. [41] [42] [43] [44] 56 school districts had ballot questions on the day of the general election. [39]
List of school districts holding elections |
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16 hospital districts held regular elections to elect half of the members of their board of directors. Six hospital districts also held special elections on the day of the general election. [45]
List of hospital districts holding elections |
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The 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota took place on November 4, 2008. After a legal battle lasting over eight months, the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) candidate, Al Franken, defeated Republican incumbent Norm Coleman in one of the closest elections in the history of the Senate, with Coleman's Senate predecessor Dean Barkley taking third place. Franken took his oath of office on July 7, 2009, more than half a year after the end of Coleman's term on January 3, 2009. This election, alongside the concurrent Senate election in New Jersey, was the last U.S. Senate election in which both major party candidates were Jewish.
Michelle Louise Helene Fischbach is an American attorney and politician who is the U.S. representative from Minnesota's 7th congressional district. The district, which is very rural, is Minnesota's largest by area and includes most of the western part of the state. A Republican, Fischbach served as the 49th lieutenant governor of Minnesota from 2018 until 2019. As of 2024, she is the last Republican to have held statewide office in Minnesota.
Elections were held in Minnesota on November 4, 2008. Primary elections took place on September 9, 2008.
The 2014 United States Senate election in Minnesota was held on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Minnesota, concurrently with the election of the Governor of Minnesota, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on November 4, 2014. All of Minnesota's executive officers were up for election as well as all the seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives, several state judicial seats, a United States Senate seat, all of Minnesota's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives, and several seats for local offices. A primary election was held on August 12, 2014, to nominate major political party candidates for partisan offices and candidates for nonpartisan offices.
The 2014 Minnesota Secretary of State election was held on November 4, 2014, to elect the Minnesota Secretary of State.
The 2016 Minnesota House of Representatives election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on November 8, 2016, to elect members to the House of Representatives of the 90th Minnesota Legislature. A primary election was held in several districts on August 9, 2016. The election coincided with the election of the other house of the Legislature, the Senate.
The 2016 Minnesota Senate election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on November 8, 2016, to elect members to the Senate of the 90th and 91st Minnesota Legislatures. A primary election was held in several districts on August 9, 2016. The election coincided with the election of the other house of the Legislature, the House of Representatives.
The 2018 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 6, to elect the 41st Governor of Minnesota as incumbent Democratic (DFL) Governor Mark Dayton chose not to run for re-election for a third term. The Democratic nominee was U.S. Representative Tim Walz from Minnesota's 1st congressional district while the Republican Party nominated Hennepin County commissioner Jeff Johnson for a second consecutive time. The Independence Party of Minnesota did not field a candidate for the first time since 1994. Going into the election polls showed Walz ahead; the race was characterized as lean or likely DFL.
The 2018 Minnesota House of Representatives election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on November 6, 2018, to elect members to the House of Representatives of the 91st Minnesota Legislature. A primary election was held in several districts on August 14, 2018. The election coincided with the election for governor, a special election for the Minnesota Senate, and other elections.
A special election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on February 12, 2018, to elect a new representative for District 23B in the Minnesota House of Representatives, caused by the resignation of Tony Cornish effective on November 30, 2017. A primary election was held on January 29, 2018, to nominate a Republican candidate. It coincided with the Minnesota Senate District 54 special election. The Republican nominee, Jeremy Munson, won the special election.
A special election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on February 12, 2018, to elect a new senator for District 54 in the Minnesota Senate, caused by the resignation of Dan Schoen effective on December 15, 2017. A primary election was held on January 29, 2018, to nominate a Republican candidate. It coincided with the Minnesota House of Representatives District 23B special election. The Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) nominee, Karla Bigham, won the special election.
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 2018 Minnesota Attorney General election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the attorney general of the U.S. state of Minnesota. A primary election was held on August 14, 2018, in which Doug Wardlow was nominated as the Republican candidate and Keith Ellison was nominated as the Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) candidate. Ellison won the election.
A special election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on November 6, 2018, to elect a new senator for District 13 in the Minnesota Senate, caused by the resignation of Republican Senator Michelle Fischbach effective on May 25, 2018. The special election determined which political party would control the Senate given that Fischbach's resignation left it equally divided between the Republicans and the DFL. Jeff Howe won the special election, preserving a Republican one-seat majority. The special election coincided with the 2018 general election.
A special election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on February 5, 2019, to elect a new senator for District 11 in the Minnesota Senate, caused by the resignation of Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Senator Tony Lourey effective on January 3, 2019, to be appointed as commissioner of human services in Governor Tim Walz's cabinet. A primary election was held on January 22, 2019, to nominate a DFL candidate. Jason Rarick, the Republican nominee, won the special election. Rarick's win caused a special election for the seat he held in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
The 2020 Minnesota Senate election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on November 3, 2020, to elect members to the Senate of the 92nd Minnesota Legislature. A primary election was held in several districts on August 11, 2020. The election coincided with the election of the other house of the Legislature, the House of Representatives, and other elections.
The 2020 Minnesota House of Representatives election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on November 3, 2020, to elect members to the House of Representatives of the 92nd Minnesota Legislature. A primary election was held in several districts on August 11, 2020. The election coincided with the election of the other house of the Legislature, the Senate, and other elections.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on November 3, 2020. All seats in the Minnesota Senate and Minnesota House of Representatives were up for election as well as several judicial seats, Minnesota's 10 presidential electors, a United States Senate seat, Minnesota's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives, and several positions for local offices. A primary election to nominate major party candidates and several judicial and local primary elections were held on August 11, 2020.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on November 5, 2024. All seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives were up for election as well as several judicial seats, Minnesota's 10 presidential electors, a United States Senate seat, Minnesota's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives, one seat of the Minnesota Senate, and several positions for local offices.