Republican Party of Minnesota

Last updated
Republican Party of Minnesota
Chairperson David Hann
Senate Leader Mark Johnson
House Leader Lisa Demuth
Founded
Headquarters
Student wing Minnesota College Republicans
Youth wing Minnesota Young Republicans
Ideology Conservatism
National affiliation Republican Party
Colors  Red
State Senate
33 / 67
State House
64 / 134
Statewide Executive Offices
0 / 5
U.S. Senate
0 / 2
U.S. House of Representatives
4 / 8
Election symbol
Republican Party Disc (alternate).svg
Website
www.mngop.org

The Republican Party of Minnesota is the state affiliate of the Republican Party in Minnesota and the oldest active political party in the state. Founded in 1855, the party is headquartered in Edina, and the current chairman is David Hann.

Contents

Starting in 2023 and as a result of the 2022 elections, the Republican Party of Minnesota does not have substantial power in the state, holding no statewide executive offices or U.S. Senate seats, and minorities in both houses of the state legislature. The party controls four of Minnesota's eight congressional districts. The last Republican governor of the state was Tim Pawlenty, who served from 2003 to 2011.

History

Early history

The Republican Party in Minnesota was the dominant party in the state for approximately the first seventy years of Minnesota's statehood, from 1858 through the 1920s. In the Civil War, the state supported Abolitionism and the Union. [1]

Republican candidates routinely won the state governorship as well as most other state offices, having 12 out of the first 13. [2]

The 1892 Republican National Convention was held in Minneapolis. The party was aided by an opposition divided between the Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party, which eventually merged in 1944.

Independent-Republican era

The Independent-Republicans of Minnesota (I-R) was the name of the party from November 15, 1975, until September 23, 1995. The name change was made because the "Republican" name was damaged by the Watergate Scandal. Polls conducted in the early-mid-1970s indicated people in Minnesota were more likely to vote for a candidate who identified as an "Independent" versus a "Republican". During that time, the state party became more dependent on grassroots fundraising and eventually went bankrupt.[ citation needed ] After the national party pumped money into the party, in the early-mid-1980s, their image and base began turning more conservative. During this time the party held both US Senate seats and briefly controlled the state House of Representatives. By 1994, the grassroots had turned socially more conservative and changed the name back in 1995. Attempts to drop the term "Independent" had previously been defeated in 1989, 1991 and 1993.

2000-2010s

For the 2006 U.S. Senate election, the party endorsed Mark Kennedy for United States Senate, who lost to Amy Klobuchar.

In the 2008 U.S. Senate election, incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman was defeated by Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidate Al Franken by 312 votes out of over 2.5 million cast after a long series of dramatic, contentious, and expensive re-counts.

The party was fined $170,000 for violating federal campaign finance regulations from 2003 to 2008. [3] The Chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party Tony Sutton (R) was found guilty of circumventing Finance Laws in the Gubernatorial Election Recount of 2010 and fined $33,000. (2010) [4] [5]

The last Republican Governor of Minnesota was Tim Pawlenty. He was elected in 2002 and after winning re-election in 2006, he served two terms. With Tom Emmer's defeat in 2010 by Mark Dayton, Republicans held the governorship for eight years. Despite having lost every executive race in the general election of 2010, the party captured both chambers of the Minnesota Legislature for the first time since the 1970s, [6] and defeated 18-term Rep. Jim Oberstar by electing Chip Cravaack to Minnesota's 8th district.

2010 gubernatorial race

For the 2010 statewide elections, the party endorsed State Representative Tom Emmer and Metropolitan Council member Annette Meeks for governor and lieutenant governor. State Representative Dan Severson was the endorsed candidate for secretary of state. Attorney and psychologist Chris Barden was the endorsed candidate for attorney general. Patricia Anderson was the endorsed candidate for state auditor. All five executive candidates lost their respective elections.

Following the 2010 gubernatorial recount, the Minnesota GOP was heavily in debt, owing $2 million primarily for the recount of votes. The GOP had stopped paying rent for its headquarters near the Capitol and the landlord filed an eviction summons once the Party had fallen $111,000 behind in rent. [4] [7] They announced they would move their headquarters to Minneapolis's Seward neighborhood in January 2014. The new headquarters is situated diagonally across from the Seward Community Cafe where it shares a building with a Pizza Luce. [8] Party Chairman Keith Downey said they were moving away from St. Paul "to be closer to the people." [9] The headquarters were later moved to Edina. [10] Despite this, in 2010, Republicans had taken control of both houses of the State Legislature for the first time in three decades, only to lose both houses in 2012.

Recent history

In 2021, the Minnesota Republican Party became a subject of controversy when donor and strategist Anton Lazzaro was indicted for sex trafficking charges. [11] Minnesota Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan resigned amidst the controversy. [12]

The party ran Scott Jensen for the 2022 gubernatorial race, [13] [14] who lost to incumbent Tim Walz. [15] The party also lost its majority in the Minnesota Senate, giving the DFL a trifecta, [16] but the party held to the four seats in the US House of Representatives.

Ideology and voter-base

The Minnesota Republicans have a strong voter base in rural and suburban parts of Greater Minnesota.

2022 Party Platform

In the party's 2022 platform, the party opposed abortion access, [17] calling for the overturning [18] of Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which subsequently happened, [19] [20] and the Minnesota Doe v. Gomez, which is still standing. It also opposes legal recognition of same-sex marriage. [21] They also "support the prohibition of Ranked Choice Voting in Minnesota." [22] On gun policy, the statement says that citizens who follow the law should "have the right to purchase and possess firearms, free from any gun registration system." [23] For education, the platform also opposes "any element of Critical Race Theory or associated curricula and programs." [24]

Current elected officials

The Minnesota Republican Party holds none of the five statewide elected offices, neither United States Senate seat, and four of the state's eight United States House of Representatives seats. It holds a minority in both the Minnesota Senate and the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Members of Congress

U.S. Senate

  • None

Both of Minnesota's U.S. Senate seats have been held by Democrats since 2009. Norm Coleman was the last Republican to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate.

U.S. House of Representatives

Out of the eight seats Minnesota is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, 4 are held by Republicans:

DistrictMemberPhoto
1st Brad Finstad
Brad Finstad 117th Congress (cropped).jpeg
6th Tom Emmer
Tom Emmer official portrait 114th Congress (cropped).jpg
7th Michelle Fischbach
2020-11-18-LH-Studio1- Fischbach-Michelle-0029-re-SELECT (cropped).jpg
8th Pete Stauber
Pete Stauber 118th Congress (cropped).jpeg

Statewide offices

Minnesota has not elected any GOP candidates to statewide office since 2006, when Tim Pawlenty was narrowly re-elected as governor. In 2010, Pawlenty opted not to seek re-election to a third term. State representative Tom Emmer ran as the Republican nominee in the 2010 election and was subsequently defeated by Democratic challenger Mark Dayton.

State legislature

List of Chairs

Electoral history

State

Governor

YearCandidateVotes %Won
1994 Arne Carlson 1,094,16563.34Yes
1998 Norm Coleman 717,35034.29No
2002 Tim Pawlenty 999,47344.4Yes
2006 Tim Pawlenty 1,028,56846.69Yes
2010 Tom Emmer 910,46243.21No
2014 Jeff Johnson 879,25744.51No
2018 Jeff Johnson 1,097,70542.4No
2022 Scott Jensen 1,119,94144.61No

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Minnesota gubernatorial election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Minnesota gubernatorial election</span>

The 2010 Minnesota gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the 40th Governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota for a four-year term to begin in January 2011. The general election was contested by the major party candidates State Representative Tom Emmer (R–Delano), former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton (DFL), and Independence Party candidate Tom Horner. After a very close race, Dayton was elected governor. Emmer would be elected to the United States House of Representatives four years later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Fischbach</span> American politician (born 1965)

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 Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Primary elections took place on August 10, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Gazelka</span> American politician

Paul E. Gazelka is an American politician and small business owner from Minnesota. A Republican, Gazelka was a member of the Minnesota Senate and was previously a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. In the state senate, Gazelka served as majority leader from 2017 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Minnesota gubernatorial election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota</span>

The 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota took place in the U.S. state of Minnesota on November 4, 2014, to elect Minnesota's eight representatives in the United States House of Representatives for two-year terms, one from each of Minnesota's eight congressional districts. Primary elections were held on August 12, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Johnson (Minnesota politician)</span> American politician (born 1966)

Jeff Johnson is an American politician. He was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2000 and served there from 2001 to 2007. Johnson left the legislature to run for state attorney general in 2006, but was defeated. Johnson served as a Hennepin County commissioner for the 7th district from 2009 to 2021. He was elected as the Republican National Committeeman from Minnesota in April 2011. Johnson was the Republican nominee for governor of Minnesota in 2014, losing to incumbent Democrat Mark Dayton, and again in 2018, losing to the Democratic nominee, U.S. Representative Tim Walz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Minnesota House of Representatives election</span>

The 2014 Minnesota House of Representatives election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on November 4, 2014, to elect members to the House of Representatives of the 89th Minnesota Legislature. A primary election was held in several districts on August 12, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota</span>

The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the eight U.S. representatives from the state of Minnesota, one from each of the state's eight congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on August 9.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Minnesota gubernatorial election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota</span>

The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the eight U.S. representatives from the state of Minnesota, one from each of the state's eight congressional districts. The elections coincided with an open gubernatorial election, a U.S. Senate election, a special U.S. Senate election, State House elections, and other elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Jensen (Minnesota politician)</span> American politician

Scott M. Jensen is an American physician and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he was a member of the Minnesota Senate from 2017 to 2021. He was the Republican nominee for governor of Minnesota in the 2022 election.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erin Maye Quade</span> American politician

Erin Maye Quade is an American politician from the state of Minnesota. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she was elected to the Minnesota Senate in 2022. She became one of the three first Black women in the Minnesota Senate upon taking office in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States Senate special election in Minnesota</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Minnesota gubernatorial election</span>

The 2022 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Minnesota. Incumbent Democratic (DFL) Governor Tim Walz defeated the Republican nominee, former state senator Scott Jensen, winning a second term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Minnesota Secretary of State election</span>

The 2022 Minnesota Secretary of State election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the Secretary of State of Minnesota. Incumbent DFLer Steve Simon won re-election to a third term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Minnesota's 1st congressional district special election</span>

The 2022 Minnesota's 1st congressional district special election was a special election held on August 9, 2022. The seat became vacant when incumbent Republican representative Jim Hagedorn died on February 17, 2022, from kidney cancer.

A general election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on November 8, 2022. All of Minnesota's executive officers were up for election, as well as all the seats in the Minnesota Senate and the Minnesota House of Representatives, several judicial seats, Minnesota's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives, and several seats for local offices. Primary elections to nominate major party candidates and several judicial and local primary elections were held on August 9, 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "THE GENESIS OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN MINNESOTA" (PDF). Minnesota Historical Society . The demand for the organization of a new anti-slavery party, following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill in May, 1854, was most urgent in the region of the Old North-west. On July 6, in a state mass meeting made up of Whigs, anti-slavery Democrats, and Free-Soilers, Michigan gave the name Republican to the party whose formal organization was effected at this convention... Minnesota was slow in joining the movement.
  2. ↑ Sturdevant, Lori. "Politics in Minnesota". mnopedia.org. Archived from the original on 2022-09-25. Retrieved 2023-02-22. While Minnesota's first governor, Henry Sibley, was a Democrat, his successor, Alexander Ramsey, and the state's next eleven governors all affiliated with the Republican Party—the party of Lincoln
  3. ↑ http://www.citypages.com, AUGUST 19, 2011, MINNESOTA GOP FINED $170,000 FOR FEC VIOLATIONS BY MIKE MULLEN,
  4. 1 2 http://www.mprnews.org, July 13, 2012, Minn. GOP, former chairman fined over recount by Tom Scheck
  5. ↑ "GOP chairman Sutton to join PR company". Startribune.com. 2011-01-17. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  6. ↑ Kaszuka, Mike (November 4, 2010). "Republicans celebrate, outline legislative goals". Star Tribune . Archived from the original on September 15, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  7. ↑ Helgeson, Baird; Stassen-Berger, Rachel E. (April 23, 2012). "Debt-laden Minn. GOP notified of eviction". Star Tribune . Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  8. ↑ Helgeson, Baird (December 9, 2013). "State GOP moves HQ to Minneapolis DFL stronghold". Star Tribune . Retrieved June 23, 2014. The new location puts the party headquarters in the heart of a longtime DFL stronghold.
  9. ↑ Salisbury, Bill (December 9, 2013). "Minnesota GOP to move offices from St. Paul to Minneapolis". Pioneer Press . Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  10. ↑ "About | MNGOP" . Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  11. ↑
  12. ↑ Kare 11 Staff (20 August 2021). "Minnesota GOP Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan resigns". KARE 11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ "Minnesota GOP Endorses Dr. Scott Jensen To Take On Gov. Tim Walz". CBS News . 2022-05-14. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  14. ↑ Van Berkel, Jessie; Woodall, Hunter (2022-05-14). "Minnesota GOP backs Scott Jensen in race to unseat Gov. Tim Walz". Star Tribune . Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  15. ↑
  16. ↑ Callaghan, Peter (9 November 2022). "MinnPost analysis: DFL turns GOP talk of midterm dominance into 'trifecta' of its own" . Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  17. ↑ "2022 Republican Party of Minnesota Platform" (PDF). mngop.org. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-22. The U.S. and Minnesota Constitutions should be amended to restore legal protection to the lives of innocent human beings from conception to natural death.
  18. ↑ "2022 Republican Party of Minnesota Platform" (PDF). mngop.org. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-22. We call for overturning the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Gomez decisions.
  19. ↑ Sherman, Mark (2022-06-25). "Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade; states can ban abortion". AP News . Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  20. ↑ "Roe v Wade: US Supreme Court ends constitutional right to abortion". BBC . 2022-06-24. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  21. ↑ "2022 Republican Party of Minnesota Platform" (PDF). mngop.org. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-22. We believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. Therefore, we: Call on the Minnesota State Legislature to repeal it new laws to the contrary.
  22. ↑ "2022 Republican Party of Minnesota Platform" (PDF). mngop.org. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  23. ↑ "2022 Republican Party of Minnesota Platform" (PDF). mngop.org. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  24. ↑ "2022 Republican Party of Minnesota Platform" (PDF). mngop.org. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-22. We oppose any element of Critical Race Theory (CRT) or associated curricula and programs such as Social Emotional Learning, Ethnic Studies and Culturally Responsive Teaching.
  25. ↑ "MPR: Minnesota Republicans dump their party's boss". news.minnesota.publicradio.org. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.