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, a United States Senate seat, Minnesota's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives, and several seats for local offices. Special elections were also be 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.
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are currently 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory and shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Due to this shared sovereignty, Americans are citizens both of the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons restricted by certain types of court orders. Four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names.
Minnesota is a state in the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, and northern regions of the United States. Minnesota was admitted as the 32nd U.S. state on May 11, 1858, created from the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory. The state has a large number of lakes, and is known by the slogan the "Land of 10,000 Lakes". Its official motto is L'Étoile du Nord.
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, exactly twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Paul. Offices for members and staff, as well as most committee hearings, are located in the nearby State Office Building.
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.
Mark Brandt Dayton is an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Minnesota from 2011 to 2019. He was a United States Senator for Minnesota from 2001 to 2007, and the 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.
The Governor of Minnesota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial governor, also served as state governor several years later. State governors are elected to office by popular vote, but territorial governors were appointed to the office by the United States president. The current governor of Minnesota is Tim Walz of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL).
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 United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, which along with the United States House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the legislature of the United States. The Senate chamber is located in the north wing of the Capitol, in Washington, D.C.
Alan Stuart Franken is an American comedian, politician, media personality, and author who served as a United States Senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. He became well known in the 1970s and 1980s as a staff writer and performer on the television comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). After decades as a comedic actor and writer, he became a prominent liberal political activist, hosting The Al Franken Show on Air America Radio.
Norman Bertram Coleman Jr. is an American lobbyist, attorney, and politician. From 2003 to 2009, he served as a U.S. Senator for Minnesota. From 1994 to 2002, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota. First elected as a member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Coleman became a Republican in 1996. He lost his 2008 Senate reelection bid to Al Franken by 312 votes out of over 3 million cast. As of 2019, he is the last Republican to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate.
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, currently 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 have automatic ballot access. Candidates for other parties and independents were nominated by petition.
A first-past-the-post electoral system is one in which voters indicate on a ballot the candidate of their choice, and the candidate who receives the most votes wins. This is sometimes described as winner takes all. First-past-the-post voting is a plurality voting method. FPTP is a common, but not universal, feature of electoral systems with single-member electoral divisions, and is practiced in close to one third of countries. Notable examples include Canada, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as most of their current or former colonies and protectorates.
An open primary is a primary election that does not require voters to be affiliated with a political party in order to vote for partisan candidates. In a traditional open primary, voters may select one party's ballot and vote for that party's nomination. As in a closed primary, the highest voted candidate in each party then proceeds to the general election. In a nonpartisan blanket primary, all candidates appear on the same ballot and the two highest voted candidates proceed to the runoff election, regardless of party affiliation. The constitutionality of this system was affirmed by the Supreme Court of the United States in 2008, whereas a partisan blanket primary was previously ruled to be unconstitutional in 2000. The arguments for open primaries are that voters can make independent choices, building consensus that the electoral process is not splintered or undermined by the presence of multiple political parties.
Judicial and local elections were held via the nonpartisan blanket primary. The top-two candidates that won the most votes in the primary election advance 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 are twice the number of candidates to be elected advance 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.
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for the same elected office, regardless of respective political party, run against each other at once, instead of being segregated by political party. It is also known as a jungle primary, or qualifying primary. In most cases there are two winners who advance to the general election, which must be a normal first-past-the-post election, in this case it is called a top-two primary.
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 Governor Mark Dayton is not seeking re-election, but is eligible to do so.
Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson was the Republican nominee and U.S. Representative Tim Walz was the DFL nominee. [3] Other candidates included Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party candidate Chris Wright [4] and Libertarian Party candidate Josh Welter. [5] Candidates who lost the primary election for the Republican nomination include former Governor Tim Pawlenty [6] and Matt Kruse. [5] Candidates who lost the primary election for the DFL nomination include State Representative Erin Murphy, [7] Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson, [8] Tim Holden, [5] and Olé Savior. [5]
Incumbent DFL Secretary of State Steve Simon announced on January 23, 2018, that he would seek re-election. [9] Former State Senator John Howe was the Republican nominee. [10] William Denney sought election as an Independence Party candidate. [5]
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. [11]
Former State Representative Pam Myhra was the Republican nominee. [12] Julie Blaha was the DFL nominee. [13] Other candidates included Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate Michael Ford [4] and Libertarian Party candidate Chris Dock. [5] Blaha won the election. [14]
Incumbent DFL Attorney General Lori Swanson announced on January 28, 2018, that she would seek re-election. [15] On June 4, 2018, Swanson announced that she would not seek re-election and instead seek election to be governor. [8]
Former State Representative Doug Wardlow was the Republican nominee and U.S. Representative Keith Ellison was the DFL nominee. [16] Noah Johnson sought election as a Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party candidate. [17] Candidates who lost the primary election for the Republican nomination include Sharon Anderson [18] and former State Senator Bob Lessard. [19] Candidates who lost the primary election for the DFL nomination include State Representative Debra Hilstrom, [20] former Ramsey County attorney Tom Foley, [21] Matt Pelikan, [22] and former commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce Mike Rothman. [23]
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.
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.
Four seats on the Minnesota Supreme Court were up for election. Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea and Justice Barry Anderson were up for re-election. Justices Margaret Chutich and Anne McKeig were up for 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%.
Incumbent DFL Senator Amy Klobuchar sought re-election. State Representative Jim Newberger was the Republican nominee. [24] Other candidates included Green Party candidate Paula Overby [25] and Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate Dennis Schuller. [4] Candidates who lost the primary election for the Republican nomination include Merrill Anderson, [26] Rae Hart Anderson, [26] and Rocky De La Fuente. [26] Candidates who lost the primary election for the DFL nomination include Steve Carlson, [26] Stephen Emery, [26] David Robert Groves, [26] and Leonard Richards. [27]
On December 7, 2017, incumbent DFL Senator Al Franken announced he would resign. [28] On December 13, DFL Governor Mark Dayton announced that he would appoint Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith to replace Franken, [29] assuming office on January 3, 2018. [30]
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. [24] Other candidates included Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate Sarah Wellington [4] and independent candidate Jerry Trooien. [31] Candidates who lost the primary election for the Republican nomination include Bob Anderson and [32] Nikolay Bey. [26] Candidates who lost the primary election for the DFL nomination include Richard Painter, [33] Ali Chehem Ali, [26] Gregg Iverson, [26] Nick Leonard, [34] and Christopher Seymore. [26]
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.
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:
List of counties holding primary elections |
---|
|
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:
List of cities and townships holding elections |
---|
|
|
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 |
---|
|
|
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 |
---|
|
The Republican Party of Minnesota is a conservative political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is affiliated with the United States Republican Party.
The 2008 United States Senate elections were held November 4, 2008, with 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate being contested. Thirty-three seats were up for regular elections; the winners were eligible to serve six-year terms from January 3, 2009 to January 3, 2015, as members of Class 2. There were also two special elections, the winners of those seats would finish the terms that ended January 3, 2013.
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. 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.
Michelle L. Fischbach is an American politician who served as the 49th lieutenant governor of Minnesota, from 2018 to 2019. She previously served as president of the Minnesota Senate. A Republican, she was first elected to the State Senate in 1996, where she represented portions of Benton County and Stearns County. In January 2018, as President of the Senate, Fischbach became Lieutenant Governor following the resignation of Tina Smith. She was succeeded as Lieutenant Governor by Peggy Flanagan on January 7, 2019.
Elections were held in Minnesota on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Primary elections took place on August 10, 2010.
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.
Karin Housley is an American politician, businesswoman, and Republican member of the Minnesota Senate, where she represents the Forest Lake area and the St. Croix River Valley. Housley ran unsuccessfully as the Republican nominee in Minnesota's 2018 special election for United States Senate.
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 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.
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 November 6, 2018, to elect a United States Senator from Minnesota to fill Senator Al Franken's term expiring on January 3, 2021. On December 7, 2017, Franken, facing multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, announced that he would resign effective January 2, 2018. His successor, Tina Smith, was appointed by Governor Mark Dayton on December 13, 2017, and ran in the special election. This election coincided with a regularly scheduled U.S. Senate election for the seat currently held by Amy Klobuchar, U.S. House elections, a gubernatorial election, State House elections, and other elections.
The 2018 Minnesota State Auditor election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the state auditor of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Julie Blaha, the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) nominee, won the election.
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.