Timothy James Pawlenty is an American attorney,businessman,and politician who served as the 39th governor of Minnesota from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party,Pawlenty served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1993 to 2003,and as House Majority Leader from 1999 to 2003. He unsuccessfully ran for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2012 presidential election. Pawlenty's 2006 reelection is the last time a Republican was elected to statewide office in Minnesota.
Mark Brandt Dayton is an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Minnesota from 2011 to 2019. He served as a United States Senator representing Minnesota from 2001 to 2007 and as Minnesota State Auditor from 1991 to 1995. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL),which affiliates with the national Democratic Party.
David Ferdinand Durenberger was an American politician and attorney. Durenberger represented Minnesota in the United States Senate as a Republican from 1978 to 1995. He left the Republican Party in 2005 and became a critic of it,endorsing Democratic presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in 2016 and 2020,respectively.
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the state affiliate of the Republican Party in Minnesota and the oldest active political party in the state,being founded in 1855. The party controls four of Minnesota's eight congressional House seats. The last Republican governor of the state was Tim Pawlenty,who served from 2003 to 2011. The party's headquarters is located in Edina,Minnesota and the current chairman is David Hann. Starting in 2023 and as a result of the 2022 elections,the Republican Party of Minnesota does not have substantial power over the state,holding no statewide executive offices,no U.S. Senate seats,and minorities in the state legislatures.
Michael Alan Hatch is an American politician and lawyer. He was the Attorney General of Minnesota from 1999 to 2007,commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce from 1983 to 1989,and chair of the Minnesota DFL Party from 1980 to 1983.
Steven A. Sviggum is a Minnesota politician,a member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents,and an executive assistant to and communications director for the Republican caucus in the Minnesota Senate. A former Speaker and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives,Sviggum represented District 28B in the southeastern part of the state. The area was known as District 25A until the 1982 legislative redistricting,and then as District 26A until the 1992 redistricting,and has included all or portions of Dakota,Dodge,Goodhue,Olmsted,Steele,Wabasha,Waseca and Winona counties.
The 2006 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 7,2006. Incumbent Tim Pawlenty was endorsed by the state Republican convention on June 2,2006,while the state Democratic–Farmer–Labor convention endorsed Mike Hatch on June 10,2006. The party primaries took place on September 12,2006,with Hatch defeating DFL challengers Becky Lourey and Ole Savior and incumbent Pawlenty defeating Sue Jeffers. In the November 7 general election,Pawlenty received a plurality of the votes,defeating Hatch by a margin of 1%. As a result,this election was the closest race of the 2006 gubernatorial election cycle.
Howard Hendrick is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Hendrick was serving as the Oklahoma Secretary of Human Services,having been appointed by Democratic Governor of Oklahoma Brad Henry in 2003.
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.
Julie A. Rosen is an American politician serving as a member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota,she represents District 23,which includes all or portions of Blue Earth,Faribault,Jackson,Le Sueur,Martin,Waseca,and Watonwan counties in the southern part of the state.
John Hottinger is a Minnesota attorney and politician and a former member and majority leader of the Minnesota Senate. First elected in 1990,he was re-elected in 1992,1996,2000 and 2002. A Democrat,he represented the old District 24 prior to the 2002 redistricting,and the current District 23 thereafter. The district included portions of Blue Earth,Le Sueur,Nicollet,Sibley and Waseca counties in the south central part of the state.
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 congressional district and includes most of the western area of the state. A Republican,Fischbach served as the 49th lieutenant governor of Minnesota under Governor Mark Dayton.
Chris Gerlach is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate representing District 37,which included portions of the cities of Apple Valley,Burnsville and Rosemount in Dakota County,which is located in the southeastern Twin Cities metropolitan area.
Geoff Michel is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate who represented District 41,which included portions of the southwestern Twin Cities suburbs of Edina and Bloomington in Hennepin County. A Republican,he was first elected to the Senate in 2002,succeeding retiring Senator Roy Terwilliger,who represented the area as District 42 before the 2002 legislative redistricting. Michel was reelected in 2006 and 2010.
Thomas Earl Emmer Jr. is an American attorney and politician serving as the House Majority Whip since 2023 and the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 6th congressional district since 2015. The district includes the far western and northern suburbs of Minneapolis in the Twin Cities metropolitan area,most of the St. Cloud metropolitan area,and a large part of rural Central Minnesota,an area abundant in agricultural activity.
The 2011 Minnesota state government shutdown was a government shutdown affecting the U.S. state of Minnesota. The shutdown was the result of a fiscal dispute between the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) Governor Mark Dayton and the Republican-majority Minnesota Legislature,that was not resolved by the constitutional deadline on June 30. The Republican caucuses and their leaders demanded bigger spending cuts,and for the budget shortfall to be met without tax increases,while Dayton demanded some tax increases. The shutdown started at midnight on July 1,and ended after a budget bill was passed and signed on July 20.
The 2014 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 4,2014,to elect the governor of Minnesota concurrently with the election to Minnesota's Class II U.S. Senate seat,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.
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.
The 2018 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 6,to elect the 41st Governor of Minnesota as incumbent Democratic governor Mark Dayton chose not to run for re-election for a third term. The Democratic nominee was congressman Tim Walz from Minnesota's 1st congressional district while the Republicans nominated Hennepin County commissioner Jeff Johnson. The Independence Party of Minnesota didn't field a candidate for the first time since 1994. Going into the election the polls showed Walz ahead and the race was characterized as lean or likely DFL.
The 2018 United States Senate election in Minnesota took place on November 6,2018,to elect a United States Senator from Minnesota. Incumbent Democratic–Farmer–Labor U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar was reelected in a landslide,defeating Republican state House of Representatives member Jim Newberger. This election was held alongside a special election for Minnesota's other Senate seat,which was held by Al Franken until he resigned in January 2018. U.S. House elections,a gubernatorial election,State House elections,and other elections were also held.
