Rep. Tim Walz (D) defeated Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson (R), Josh Welter (L), and Chris Wright (Grassroots) in the general election on November 6, 2018, for governor of Minnesota.

Incumbent Mark Dayton (D) did not file for election to a third term in 2018, leaving the seat open. Dayton was last elected in 2014, defeating Johnson by a margin of 6 percentage points. Of the ten preceding gubernatorial elections, a Republican candidate won five, a Democratic candidate won four—including Dayton's victories in 2010 and 2014—and an independent candidate won one.

The last time a Minnesota gubernatorial election was won by a candidate of the outgoing governor's political party was in 1946 when Luther Youngdahl (R) was elected to succeed Edward John Thye (R). In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) carried the state by a margin of 1.5 percentage points.

Walz's victory preserved the state's divided government. At the time of the election, Minnesota had been under divided government since Democrats lost their majority in the state house in 2015. The winner of this election stood to influence the state's redistricting process following the 2020 census. Under Minnesota state law, the governor may veto congressional and state legislative district maps proposed by the state legislature.

Minnesota was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election. Click here for more information on other 2018 gubernatorial elections.

For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Candidates and election results

See also: Statistics on gubernatorial candidates, 2018

General election

General election for Governor of Minnesota

Tim Walz defeated Jeff Johnson, Chris Wright, and Josh Welter in the general election for Governor of Minnesota on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tim Walz (D)	53.8	1,393,096
		Jeff Johnson (R)	42.4	1,097,705
		Chris Wright (Grassroots Party)	2.7	68,667
	Submit photo	Josh Welter (L)	1.0	26,735
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	1,084

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,587,287 (100.00% precincts reporting)
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Christopher Seymore (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota

Tim Walz defeated Erin Murphy, Lori Swanson, Tim Holden, and Ole Savior in the Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 14, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Tim Walz	41.6	242,832
	Erin Murphy	32.0	186,969
	Lori Swanson	24.6	143,517
	Tim Holden	1.1	6,398
	Ole Savior	0.7	4,019

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 583,735
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Tina Liebling (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota

Jeff Johnson defeated Tim Pawlenty and Matt Kruse in the Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeff Johnson	52.6	168,841
		Tim Pawlenty	43.9	140,743
	Submit photo	Matt Kruse	3.5	11,330

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 320,914
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages

Tim Walz, U.S. Representative

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: U.S. House of Representatives (2007-Present)

Biography: After his graduation from high school, Walz joined the Army National Guard and started working as a school teacher. After graduating from Chadron State College in 1989, Walz spent one year teaching in China. Walz continued to teach in the United States, earning his master's degree from Minnesota State University in 2001 before being deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom.

Key messages

Walz described his campaign as an effort to unify the state, saying on his campaign website's homepage that he and his running mate Peggy Flanagan "are running for Governor and Lieutenant Governor to make our vision of One Minnesota a reality."^[1]^[2]

In campaign materials, Walz referred to Republicans in general and President Trump in particular as bullies and promised to oppose their policies.^[3]

Walz pointed voters to his background, describing himself as "the highest-ranking enlisted service member ever to serve in Congress, an award-winning high-school teacher, a champion football coach, and a leader in Congress."^[1]

Jeff Johnson, Hennepin County Commissioner

Party: Republican

Incumbent: No

Political office: Hennepin County Commission (2009-Present), Minnesota House of Representatives (2001-2007)

Biography: Johnson graduated from Concordia College in 1989 and obtained a law degree from Georgetown Law School in 1992. In 2001, he founded Midwest Employment Resources, a firm providing human resources services.

Key messages

Johnson described his run as an effort to reshape the state government, saying in a video ad during the primary that his goal was "to bring fundamental, generational change to a government that has become arrogant, out of touch and completely broken."^[4]

Johnson pointed voters to his background, saying that on the Hennepin County Commission he "is always engaged in the fight for fiscal sanity and responsibility, increased government accountability and requiring that county programs actually produce measurable results."^[5]

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Minnesota Governor, 2018
Poll	Poll sponsor	Tim Walz (D)	Jeff Johnson (R)	Josh Welter (L)	Chris Wright (I)	Undecided/Other	Margin of Error	Sample Size

SurveyUSA (October 29-31, 2018)	KSTP	49%	41%	0%	0%	9%	+/-5.3	1,000
Mason-Dixon Polling and Research (October 15-17, 2018)	The Star Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio	45%	39%	3%	2%	12%	+/-3.5	800
Change Research (October 12-13, 2018)	N/A	47%	44%	3%	4%	2%	+/---	1,413
Marist College (September 30 - October 4, 2018)	NBC News	49%	37%	7%	0%	7%	+/-4.2	860
Star Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio (September 10-12, 2018)	N/A	45%	36%	1%	2%	16%	+/-3.5	800
Note: A "0%" finding means the question was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]

Click [show] to view older polls

Minnesota Governor, 2018
Poll	Poll sponsor	Tim Walz (D)	Jeff Johnson (R)	Josh Welter (L)	Chris Wright (I)	Undecided/Other	Margin of Error	Sample Size

SurveyUSA (September 6-8, 2018)	KSTP	47%	40%	0%	0%	13%	+/-4.9	587
Suffolk University (August 17-20, 2018)	St. Cloud Times	46%	41%	1%	1%	12%	+/-4.4	500
Note: A "0%" finding means the question was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]

Click [show] to view polls of hypothetical matchups conducted before the August 14 primaries.

Minnesota Governor, 2018 (Walz vs. Pawlenty hypothetical matchup)
Poll	Poll sponsor	Tim Walz (D)	Tim Pawlenty (R)	Undecided/Other	Margin of error	Sample size

Marist College (July 15-19, 2018)	NBC News	51%	40%	9%	+/-4.0	876
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected].

Minnesota Governor, 2018 (Swanson vs. Pawlenty hypothetical matchup)
Poll	Poll sponsor	Lori Swanson (D)	Tim Pawlenty (R)	Undecided/Other	Margin of error	Sample size

Marist College (July 15-19, 2018)	NBC News	51%	40%	9%	+/-4.0	876
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected].

Minnesota Governor, 2018 (Murphy vs. Pawlenty hypothetical matchup)
Poll	Poll sponsor	Erin Murphy (D)	Tim Pawlenty (R)	Undecided/Other	Margin of error	Sample size

Marist College (July 15-19, 2018)	NBC News	48%	40%	11%	+/-4.0	876
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected].

PredictIt Prices

This section provides the PredictIt market prices for this race during the three months leading up to the election. PredictIt is a site where people make and trade predictions on political and financial events. Market prices reflect the probability, based on PredictIt users' predictions, that a candidate will win a race. For example, a market price of $0.60 for Candidate A is equivalent to a 60 percent probability that Candidate A will win.

Campaign finance

The following chart shows campaign finance information obtained from the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board covering all contributions and expenditures made between January 1, 2018, and September 18, 2018.

In addition to the figures reported below as contributions, three candidates entered 2018 with existing funds in their campaign accounts:

Jeff Johnson (R) entered 2018 with $179,763.24 in his campaign account.
Tim Walz (D) entered 2018 with $488,194.57 in his campaign account.
Chris Wright (I) entered 2018 with $1,391.86 in his campaign account.

Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.^[6]^[7]^[8]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

A Better Minnesota funded a television ad campaign opposed to Johnson in September 2018. The Star Tribune reported the ad buy as "in the high six figures".^[9]

The Minnesota Victory PAC reported spending $311,000 on advertising in support of Tim Walz (D) as of September 17, 2018.^[10]

The Republican Governors Association made a $2.3 million reservation of airtime on April 9, 2018.^[11] On October 1, 2018, the group cancelled all ad reservations it had scheduled for dates before October 23.^[12] On October 11, 2018, the group cancelled all ad reservations it had scheduled for dates before October 31.^[13] It canceled all remaining ad buys on October 18, 2018.^[14]

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.^[15]
Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.^[16]^[17]^[18]

Race ratings: Minnesota gubernatorial election, 2018
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2018	October 30, 2018	October 23, 2018	October 16, 2018
The Cook Political Report	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic	Likely Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic	Lean Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.
These are notable endorsements that were issued after the Democratic and Republican primaries concluded.
For more endorsements, see the following pages:

Noteworthy general election endorsements
Endorsement	Walz	Johnson
Newspapers and editorials
The Star Tribune^[19]	✔
Elected officials
President Donald Trump (R)^[20]		✔

Timeline

November 2, 2018: Johnson and Walz met for a debate in St. Paul.
November 1, 2018: A SurveyUSA poll sponsored by KSTP found Walz apparently leading Johnson, with 49 percent support to Johnson's 41 percent. The poll reported a margin of error of 5.3 percentage points.
October 26, 2018: The Star Tribune endorsed Walz.
October 21, 2018: A Mason-Dixon Polling and Research poll sponsored by the Star Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio found Walz apparently leading Johnson with 45 percent support to Johnson's 39 percent. The poll reported a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.
October 18, 2018: The Republican Governors Association canceled all remaining ad buys in the state.
October 14, 2018: A Change Research poll found Walz leading Johnson 47-44. The poll did not report a margin of error.
October 11, 2018: The Republican Governors Association canceled all ad reservations it had through October 30.
October 10, 2018: An NBC News/Marist College poll found Walz leading Johnson 49-37. The poll reported a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points.
October 4, 2018: President Trump (R) appeared alongside Johnson at a rally in Rochester.
October 1, 2018: The Republican Governors Association canceled all ad reservations it had through October 23.
September 25, 2018: The candidates filed campaign reports containing information on all contributions and expenditures between July 23, 2018, and September 18, 2018.
September 18, 2018: Minnesota Action Network released an ad titled Tim Walz: Not For Us. The ad said that Walz had voted against a tax cut, was not opposed to an estate tax, and supported increasing the gas tax.
September 19, 2018: Johnson and Walz met for a debate hosted by the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce.
September 16, 2018: A Star Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio poll found Walz apparently leading Johnson, with 47 percent support to Johnson's 40 percent. The poll reported a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.
August 31, 2018: Johnson and Walz met for a debate at the Minnesota State Fair.
August 17, 2018: Johnson and Walz met for a debate in St. Paul.

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Tim Walz

Support

"Share" - Walz campaign ad, released October 23, 2018

"Grew Up" - Walz campaign ad, released September 21, 2018

Oppose

"Tim Walz: Not For Us" - Minnesota Action Network ad, released September 18, 2018

Jeff Johnson

Support

"Better" - Johnson ad, released October 23, 2018

"One Size Doesn't Fit All..." - Johnson ad, released October 5, 2018

"Vision" - Johnson ad, released September 24, 2018

Oppose

"Jeff Johnson on Healthcare: Louise's Story" - A Better Minnesota ad, released September 7, 2018

Noteworthy events

Donald Trump campaign appearance

President Donald Trump (R) made a campaign appearance alongside Johnson at a rally in Rochester on October 4, 2018.^[21] Click here for footage of the rally.

Debates and forums

Johnson and Walz met for a debate in St. Paul on November 2, 2018. Click here for footage of the debate.
Johnson and Walz met for a debate hosted by the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce on September 19, 2018. Click here for footage of the debate.
Johnson and Walz met for a debate at the Minnesota State Fair on August 31, 2018. Click here for footage of the debate.
Johnson and Walz met for a debate in St. Paul on August 17, 2018. Click here for footage of the debate.

Campaign themes

Tim Walz

Walz's campaign website stated the following:

“

Agriculture
Minnesota’s farmers and farm economy are second to none; we will help them compete and thrive in the global marketplace.

Agriculture and rural communities are vital to Minnesota’s economy and way of life. We live in one of the most fertile and productive agricultural regions in the world and our farmers are some of the best at producing the food, feed, fuel and fiber we all depend on. Agriculture contributes over $121 billion in economic activity and supports over 400,000 jobs across our state.

Minnesota is a state that was built on the strength of its agricultural sector and we need to ensure that our family farmers and rural communities are able to compete in the global marketplace.

The Walz Flanagan Administration will:

Work aggressively to expand markets and make sure our producers and businesses have the level playing field they need to compete in our global marketplace.
Partner with our farmers and businesses to unleash Minnesota’s innovative spirit to add value to farm commodities and create good paying jobs across our state.
Support new and beginning farmers by helping them overcome barriers to entry and find opportunities to carry on Minnesota’s strong farming traditions.
Invest in agriculture-related research to continue enhancing productivity of Minnesota agriculture and develop new win-win solutions to complex problems.
Support the growth of organic and locally grown products that offer new opportunities for both rural and urban Minnesotans to be part of Minnesota’s strong agricultural tradition.
Achieve cleaner water by working together and looking for win-win solutions to this complex problem.

American Indian Issues
Minnesota is home to 11 Tribal Nations and a significant urban Indian population. Tim Walz and Peggy Flanagan will work in partnership with Native communities to create policies that benefit Indian Country.

In order to address the problems Minnesotans face, our government has to look like Minnesota. Tim and Peggy will ensure that Minnesota’s Native communities are treated with dignity, as sovereign nations and have equitable access to positions in state government. That starts with the ticket: when elected Lt. Governor, Peggy Flanagan will be the highest ranking female Native American in the history of the United States.

The Walz Flanagan Administration will:

Honor tribal sovereignty and government to government relationships. Minnesota’s tribes are sovereign nations and should be treated as such. Treaty rights must be regarded as the supreme law of the land and will be honored. Tribal governments will be consulted in decision making on the front end. When our tribal communities are thriving in Minnesota, the entire state benefits.
Prioritize equitable education for Native students.
- Make BIE school funding permanent, invest in Dakota and Ojibwe language immersion programs in culturally contextualized schools
- Ensure history and culture of Native people are included in Minnesota’s K-12 education system
- Support and fund Adult Basic Education programs, career skill development for Native adults
- Work with tribal agencies, non-profits and especially schools to provide wrap around services for Native students and their families
- Support tuition waivers for Native American students in higher education – with priority given to future educators
Work in collaboration with tribes to combat the opioid crisis.
- Lessen barriers to treatment by providing funds to expand culturally competent long-term treatment programs
- Acknowledge and work to heal multi-generational and historic trauma
- Increase access to harm-reduction methods and non-judgmental, non-coercive services
Protect and invest in the well being Native American children and their families.
- Fund public housing, food stability and supportive assistance programs and work with tribes to create stable family networks
- Educate those working with Native American families on historical trauma and Native families’ increased vulnerability
- Commit to addressing systemic racism and implicit bias in state agencies
- Recognize that Native American children are best served by being placed with Native families – reduce barriers for Native families to take custody of their relatives

Childcare
Children and families are our top priority.

Every Minnesotan deserves access to affordable, quality child care. And they deserve to live in a community that allows them to put their children first. That’s a smart investment for all of us—and our future.

Too many families struggle to find child care they can afford and to take leave to be with their children when they are born. Minnesota has some of the most expensive and hard-to-find child care services in the country, especially in rural areas where whole communities may be devoid of child care options. This is more than a family challenge—it’s a social and economic issue for our state. It impacts parents’ ability to work, families’ ability to achieve financial security, and children’s readiness for kindergarten. We know that there is no smarter investment for our state than ensuring our littlest citizens have access to safe, robust care whether from their parents or child care programs that allow parents to continue to work and remain independent.

The Walz Flanagan Administration will support families by working to make child care more affordable and accessible for all. Tim and Peggy will:

Increase the Child and Dependent Care tax credit that is available to low-income families to help cover the costs of child care.
Increase income limits for the Child and Dependent Care tax credit to make sure more Minnesota families can get the support they need to work and care for their kids.
Fully fund and forecast the Child Care Assistance Program.
Remove red tape and fees that make opening and running a child care program unnecessarily difficult and costly.
Create a Child Care Innovation Center, which will offer seed funding, training, and technical assistance to folks who want to start a child care program.
Support progressive paid parental leave policies, so that all parents are able to stay home as they welcome a new member to their family.

Economy
We will build an economy that works for every Minnesotan.

Minnesota’s economy is one of the strongest in the country. Our unemployment rate and job growth have outpaced our neighbors. Our state is strong because our investments pay off, whether it’s funding our children’s education, our communities’ services, or our state’s infrastructure.

But we can—and should—do more.

Our economy leaves behind disadvantaged people in many pockets of the state. Residents face a lack of housing from North Mankato to North Minneapolis. Child care is out of reach for families from Alexandria to Apple Valley, and a college education is too expensive for young people across the state.

Rather than let emerging problems divide our state, we see that they unite us to act. Our state’s future depends on all of us coming together to tackle these challenges. It’s the right thing to do, and it helps all of our residents be part of our state’s economy.

The Walz Flanagan Administration will continue Minnesota’s leadership in progressive action, securing broad prosperity for all. Tim and Peggy will:

Guarantee and fully fund pre-K and K-12 education for our children, making Minnesota the “education state” and creating a workforce that propels Minnesota’s growth. Minnesota can and should continue to create the industries of tomorrow.
Stand up for our unions. Union membership is the surest pathway to the middle class. Tim and Peggy will stand up against assaults on our right to collective bargaining and push back against so-called “Right to Work” legislation.
Remove barriers to growth by encouraging equity and inclusion. Initiatives like connecting rural residents to the internet through dramatically expanded broadband and closing the opportunity gap for minorities not only creates fairness, it creates economic growth.
Improve our infrastructure by passing a $1 billion dollar bonding bill that will include badly needed funding for highways, bridges, mass transit, and bikeways at the state, metro and local levels.
Support Minnesota’s businesses while keeping working Minnesotans at the forefront. Minnesota has a fantastic workforce and a great quality of life. Government should serve Minnesota’s families. Tim and Peggy support re-investing in the Minnesota Investment Fund and Minnesota Job Creation Fund to help start-up companies create new jobs.
Expand the Middle Class and encourage people to organize. Our state government should protect our economy from increasing concentration of wealth in the top one percent. One way to ensure that is removing barriers so that workers are free to organize. Another is to expand the Working Family Tax Credit and other tax breaks for the lower- and middle-class, while ensuring that the top one percent pay their fair share.

Education
Every student in Minnesota deserves the opportunity to learn in the best schools in the country with caring, qualified teachers.

As a 20 year classroom high school teacher, Tim is deeply committed to the success of every student. Education is personal to him. Minnesota is consistently rated as one of the best places to be an educator in the entire country. We should be proud of our educators and the work they put in to make sure Minnesota has the best trained workforce in the world.

Minnesota continues to have some of the highest performing students in the nation. But our state also continues to have an opportunity gap that leaves too many children of color and children from greater Minnesota behind. Closing the opportunity gap must be a top priority.

These challenges are real. But Minnesotans can come together to solve them. The Walz Flanagan Administration will:

Fully and equitably fund our schools and reject the budgetary gimmicks we’ve used in the past, because all kids should have access to a high quality education regardless of their zip code. Tim and Peggy will ensure funding for our schools that is not only stable, but equitable.
Support and listen to educators, and ensure every student has a caring, qualified, committed teacher. Educators believe in children. It is not just a job, it’s a calling. We must ensure every educator has the resources, mentoring, time, and support they need. As trusted professionals, they are the best equipped to make decisions that impact their classrooms and students.
Work intentionally to close the opportunity gap for all students across Minnesota. We must provide them the tools and time to learn. A child’s chance to succeed should not depend on living in a particular zip code. If we’re serious about every child’s future, let’s do what works. We need resources in all schools so students have the support professionals they need (nurses and school counselors), more one-on-one time to learn, inviting classrooms, and a well-rounded curriculum.
Support universal Pre-K for Minnesota’s kids. All students deserve learning opportunities at an early age. We need to pursue a two-generation strategy so that we are supporting kids and their families together. Early learning should also be better integrated with Minnesota’s child care assistance programs. We know opportunity gaps begin early. By addressing education equity early we will provide all of our kids a chance to succeed.
Prioritize education funding coming from the state. Communities should not be reliant entirely on local property taxes to fund schools – that’s a recipe for racial and geographic disparities.
Follow best practices on recruiting educators of color and providing a diverse teaching staff. Some students go all the way through grade school without having an educator who looks like them or who shares similar cultural experiences. It is important to expose children to a diverse teaching staff. Let’s follow the research on recruiting educators of color, including increasing educator salaries and looking into loan forgiveness for educators of color willing to work in high needs fields of education.
Nix vouchers – In order to give Minnesota students the best chance at success, we need to keep funding to our public schools, not diverting it into voucher programs.
Giving every Minnesotan a shot at higher education. Provide 2 years tuition free education at Minnesota state institutions for individuals whose families make less than 125k a year.

Energy, Environment, And Climate
Working together to build a sustainable and just future for our environment and for all Minnesotans.

Creating a sustainable future does not require picking winner and losers. It requires us to work together. We can combat climate change, protect our lakes, rivers, and streams, and build an environmentally just Minnesota, but only if every Minnesotan has a seat at the table and has the opportunity to have their voice heard.

All too often environmental issues—from climate change to public land management—are framed as issues that divide us. Rural versus urban. Pro-job versus pro-environment. These are false divisions. We are One Minnesota.

In Congress, Tim represented a rural district but he also worked tirelessly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect our public lands since his first day in office. He did this by listening to his constituents, finding common ground on complex issues—everyone wants clean air and clean water—and building broad coalitions to support environmental policies that benefit us all.

Minnesota has long been recognized for its environmental stewardship and as Governor and Lt. Governor, Tim and Peggy will continue to address our environmental issues head on and work with all Minnesotans to create solutions.

The Walz Flanagan Administration will:

Expand the Renewable Energy Standard to end our dependence on fossil fuels. Minnesota already gets 21% of its energy from renewable sources. And thousands of Minnesotans from all over the state now work in the clean energy economy. To continue to grow this sector, Tim and Peggy support increasing our renewable energy standard to ensure that by 2030, at least 50% of our energy comes from renewables.
Reduce carbon emissions in all sectors to fight climate change. Tim and Peggy support reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 and as Governor and Lt. Governor, they will work to make sure that we reduce emissions in all sectors of the economy.
Work with farmers on clean water solutions across Minnesota. Farming is vital to Minnesota’s economy. Farmers are great stewards of the land and Tim and Peggy will work alongside them to enact policies and programs that support innovative farming practices, like cover crops and drainage water management, which clean our water and improve a farmer’s bottom line.
Fight for energy justice. The environmental challenges facing Minnesota often have a disproportionate impact on low-income Minnesotans, communities of color, the elderly, and children. These impacts amplify the economic and health challenges these communities face. As Governor and Lt. Governor, Tim and Peggy will incorporate the values of environmental justice and robust stakeholder engagement initiatives across the State’s Executive Branch agencies.
Follow Minnesota’s processes when considering new projects. Minnesota has one of the most stringent environmental review processes in the country. As Minnesota is considering new energy projects, Tim and Peggy will follow these processes before making any decisions.
Advocate for tribal rights while assessing Minnesota projects. Tim and Peggy have been working from the beginning to make sure that tribal concerns over Line 3 are heard and addressed. Tim submitted a letter to the Public Utilities Commission expressing his concern that tribal rights be respected through the review process.

Gun Violence Prevention
Minnesotans deserve to feel safe in their communities, and to have their second amendment rights respected.

Gun Violence is taking an increasing toll on our communities. When any Minnesotan dies from gun violence, it’s a tragedy for all Minnesotans.

Tim has taken some heat over his record on guns in the DFL primary. so it’s important to have a clear understanding of the facts.

Yes, Tim has received campaign contributions from the NRA in his past congressional campaigns. He has donated all of the campaign contributions he received from the NRA to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which supports families of those who are injured or killed representing our nation in uniform. He will not accept any additional campaign contributions from the NRA. In fact, he expects them to spend a lot of money trying to defeat him.

The most crucial element to look at is Tim’s record on taking action to prevent gun violence. Here are the facts:

In Congress, Tim has supported common sense gun violence prevention measures for years. He’s done that by:

Voting in support of universal background checks Voting for “No Fly, No Buy” legislation Voting to fund the CDC to study gun violence Voting against Concealed Carry reciprocity that would allow gun owners from states with Concealed Carry laws on the book to to take their guns across state lines into states without such laws. Being an original co-sponsor on the bill to ban so-called “bump stocks” In addition to his work on this issue in Congress, there are things that we can do here in Minnesota.

The Walz Flanagan Administration wants to keep families safe and let Minnesotans enjoy their Second Amendment rights:

Support a Ban on Assault Weapons in Minnesota. Tim has long said that he’s open to an assault weapons ban, and he’s seen enough – we need a ban on military style assault rifles in Minnesota.
Pass Universal Background Checks. The facts don’t lie – in states where there are universal background check laws on the books, there are 52 percent fewer mass shootings. 48 percent fewer law enforcement officials are shot to death with handguns. 48 percent fewer people commit suicide by firearm. This is a step we can take to keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them.
Fight dangerous “Stand Your Ground” bills. Research conducted by the American Medical Association tells us that states with “Stand your Ground” laws on the books see a significant spike in homicide by firearm. This bill would be a non-starter in Tim and Peggy’s administration.
Fund our public institutions to do research into gun violence If Washington won’t fund research into gun violence, Minnesota will. Tim and Peggy will work to pass legislation that funds our public institutions to conduct research into gun violence prevention.
Institute the Gun Violence Prevention Order in Minnesota. This common sense law would enable law enforcement and family members to petition a court to prohibit an individual from possessing firearms if a judge finds they pose a significant danger to themselves or others.
Build the coalition to make progress on gun violence prevention. Minnesota had to fend off destructive legislation this year that would have made our communities less safe. As a lifelong sportsman and hunter, Tim has the credibility among law-abiding gun owners to build the coalitions necessary to finally get things done on this issue.

Health Care
Health care is your right.

Minnesotans cannot reach their full potential if they’re struggling to access affordable, quality health care. We have made great progress in ensuring more Minnesotans than ever before can access health coverage; now we need to bring our brightest health care experts together with Minnesota’s working families to find solutions to new health care challenges.

Too many Minnesota families are priced out of the health care market—forced to purchase expensive health insurance for their family rather than pay this month’s college tuition bill. Too many Minnesotans must drive hours for a simple doctor’s office visit or, more importantly, to ensure their new baby is born in a facility equipped to handle it.

Of course, no Minnesotan hopes to use our health care system. But when they do, they want it to be affordable, they want it to be close to home, and they want to get better quickly.

Minnesota might rank among one of the healthiest states in the union, but many Minnesotans are suffering from significant health disparities and a lack of adequate mental health care services.

We can and must do better.

The Walz Flanagan Administration will:

Provide a strong public health care option for any Minnesotan who wants it. Tim believes that a single payer type system is on Minnesota’s horizon, but that immediate action needs to be taken to control costs and improve care. Minnesotans don’t have to wait for the federal government to act. We have a public health care option right now—MinnesotaCare—that delivers high quality care at a price Minnesotans can afford. Tim and Peggy will fight for it on Day One.
Bring the best health care minds and Minnesota families facing health care challenges together. Tim and Peggy will build a One Minnesota coalition focused on reducing health care costs and increasing Minnesotans’ access to real health care that makes sense for their community.
Tackling barriers to mental health care. The impact of mental health in our communities has been ignored for too long. Access to affordable mental health care is a right, too. It’s time we listen to and deliver for Minnesotans and their families facing mental health challenges. They deserve our love, respect and commitment to meaningful action.
Make additional investments into medical research here in Minnesota. Minnesota is poised to make huge steps forward on the prevention side of health care, which experts agree will bring down costs. With Minnesota’s great public institutions, our medical device industry, and our premier medical facilities, Tim and Peggy think that Minnesota is where we can find the solutions that will change the game when it comes to bringing health care costs down.
Stand with organizations that support women’s health. Tim believes in a woman’s right to choose and has a 100% voting record with Planned Parenthood. He will continue this support as Governor.

LGBTQ Minnesotans
Every Minnesotan deserves to feel safe and included in their community.

In 1996, Tim Walz formed the Gay Straight Alliance at Mankato West High School after one of his students came out as gay.

In 2005, during his first run for Congress, Tim campaigned in support of full marriage equality when the issue was far from politically safe.

Peggy helped build the Vote No (against the proposed statewide marriage ban) campaign in 2012- and joined with faith leaders across the state to defeat the proposed amendment.

In Congress, Tim was a leader on repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and was a leading voice against Donald Trump’s hateful transgender troop ban.

It’s clear that the fight has now moved to protecting transgender Minnesotans – Tim and Peggy will be there every step of the way.

The Walz Flanagan Administration wants every Minnesotan to feel safe in their communities, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity:

Stand against so-called “Bathroom Bills.” These bills only serve to endanger trans people while doing nothing to make our schools safer.
Ban the harmful practice of “Conversion Therapy.” Time to send this cruel practice to the ashbin of history where it belongs.
Take on bullying and harassment in schools. Minnesota kids can’t learn if they don’t feel safe in school. Tim and Peggy will build on the work on the anti-bullying bill passed during the 2014 legislative session.

Racial Equity
Minnesota has some of the greatest racial disparities of any state – that has to change.

Let’s create an administration that looks like Minnesota.

In order to address the problems face by Minnesotans, our government has to look like Minnesota. Tim and Peggy will ensure that people of color have equitable access to positions in state government. That starts with the top of the ticket: when elected Lt. Governor, Peggy Flanagan will be the highest ranking female Native American in the history of the United States.

As Minnesotans, one of our core values is fairness. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet been able to live up to that value when it comes to racial equity.

People of color and indigenous people in Minnesota experience disparities in almost all facets of life. Whether it’s educational outcomes, injustice in our criminal justice reform system, or lack of representation by people of color and indigenous people in our government, Minnesota has a lot of work to do to achieve equity.

We have to stop viewing racial disparities as a problem that only impacts Minnesotans of color and indigenous Minnesotans and start realizing that it’s an issue that affects all of us.

The Walz Flanagan Administration will:

Make access to education for everyone a priority. We know that there are investments that Minnesota can make to help students from diverse backgrounds. That includes programs that encourage hiring more people of color and indigenous people as teachers and getting POCI students exposure to careers in STEM.
Nurture healthy families across Minnesota. We must make meaningful investments into improving access to childcare, invest in families that want to combat the opioid epidemic, and ensure that health care providers are providing culturally competent care.
Provide economic opportunities for every Minnesotan. When Minnesota has a surplus, we should use that money to in invest in our communities, not give tax break to tobacco companies and the wealthiest Minnesotans. This includes targeted job creation programs in communities of color and indigenous communities.
Push for criminal justice reform and civil rights for everyone. Tim and Peggy favor creating a taxation and regulation system for adult-use cannabis in Minnesota. African Americans in Minnesota are negatively and disproportionately impacted by these laws. They also support outlawing private prisons in Minnesota – There should be no profit motive attached to recidivism.

Transportation
Transportation connects Minnesotans and creates jobs.

Our transportation network provides the critical connections that enable Minnesotans to get to and from home, work, school and the things we enjoy most in life. Whether traveling by car, bus, bike, rail or boat, Minnesotans rely on a well-maintained transportation system to get ourselves where we’re going.

For too long, the fight at the Capitol has been over how to divide the pie of transportation dollars between rural and urban Minnesotans and between mass transit and roads. That’s the wrong debate. The debate should be about which investments most improve our transit and transportation systems and how those investments can connect more people to opportunities to improve their lives. Our transit and transportation systems work together to move us around this beautiful state and we need both systems to be robust and reliable.

We must also solve the funding gap. Today, Minnesota no longer raises enough revenue from the gas tax to do much more than maintain our extensive road network. If we want to expand the capacity of our urban freeways, reduce crashes at major suburban intersections, or build new roads connecting one rural town to another, we have to stop fighting over how to divide the pie and start working together to grow the pie.

The Walz Flanagan Administration will:

Secure a stable funding source for transit and transportation by increasing the gas tax because Minnesota must modernize and expand our transportation and transit system in order to connect more people to opportunity and to compete for major employers and the jobs they bring to our state. To meet our current and future needs, Tim and Peggy will increase the gas tax and expand funding for transit and transportation in a way that is fair and equitable.
Expand the transit network both in the metro and in rural Minnesota to help take commuters off the road, make less congestion for those who choose to drive, reduce pollution, and save wear and tear on our roads. Younger generations increasingly show a preference for transit, while older residents look to transit to keep them mobile and in their homes longer. Tim and Peggy support expanding bus networks across the state. They also support strategic investments in high speed commuter rail, light rail and bus rapid transit projects, which move even more people at greater speeds.
Build a stronger partnership with employers and freight haulers since the movement of freight around this state impacts jobs, our environment, and our cost of living. Tim and Peggy will engage the businesses, farmers and others hauling freight through our state in a conversation about how our transportation system can be more efficient for freight haulers while still protecting the needs of our communities.
Create a taskforce on the future of transportation because travel patterns are changing and more people are choosing to bike and walk. Others are choosing to utilize ride sharing services or to maximize their income by driving for one of these services. Autonomous vehicles are on the horizon. To keep pace with the changes we’re experiencing, Tim and Peggy will convene a One Minnesota taskforce on the future of transportation in our state.

Wages, Benefits, And Workers' Rights
Minnesotans deserve living wages, excellent benefits, and the right to organize.

Minnesotans believe that all families should have the opportunity to thrive. Parents should have the time to eat dinner with their kids and help with homework. Grown children should be able to take care of an ailing parent. And every Minnesotan deserves time to welcome a new child into the world

Increasingly, some of these simple, basic Minnesota values seem to have fallen by the wayside.

The Walz Flanagan Administration will fight to make sure everyone has the chance to thrive – Tim and Peggy will:

Increase the Minnesota minimum wage to $15 an hour. $15 an hour is not the answer for all of Minnesota’s woes, but it’s central to ensuring that Minnesotans can thrive. On this issue, we have to lead by example – everyone on the Walz Flanagan campaign is paid a living wage (and receives benefits too!).
Improve and expand safe and sick time laws so that when a member of your family is sick you can care for that person. When Minnesota workers are sick, they deserve a chance to get healthy. Tim and Peggy think businesses should allow workers to accumulate sick and safe time. They’ll also ensure that there is strong enforcement of laws that prevent employers from penalizing workers for using the sick time. The sick time needs to cover a large range of issues (from domestic violence to providing long-term care).
Fight for fair scheduling rules because showing up for our families is important. One obstacle that modern families face are schedules without predictability or advance notice. Fair scheduling rules ensure that workers receive proper notification regarding their schedules, are compensated for last minute changes, and can rest in between shifts.
Expand paid family leave, since so many families are sandwiched between raising their children and caring for their parents and grandparents.
Fight wage theft and expand protections against wage theft. Sadly there are still bad-actor employers who find ways to steal wages from workers. Tim and Peggy will ensure that there are stiff penalties, a strong Department of Labor & Industry to hold them accountable, and training to educate workers.
Protect bargaining rights and encourage worker organizations, because being able to work together with your co-workers and bargain for a better deal is an important way to help workers get the pay and benefits they need and to check the power of corporations. Tim and Peggy will protect the right to collectively bargain and will support worker organizations as they fight for their future.
Support Defined Benefit Pensions. These pensions are critical to providing a dignified retirement to people who dedicate their lives to public service. Tim and Peggy will make sure Defined Benefit Pensions are supported and defended.

Veterans
Those who’ve raised their hand to serve our nation deserve the best care and services our nation and state can provide. As a retired command sergeant major in the Minnesota National Guard, the highest-ranking enlisted soldier to ever serve in Congress, and the top Democrat on the U.S. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Tim Walz knows this better than anyone. While the Federal Government shoulders the primary responsibility for providing veterans benefits, health care and services through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the state of Minnesota provides important and critical services to Minnesota veterans and their families as well. That is why the WalzFlanagan ticket developed, in coordination with Minnesota veterans and their advocates, the One Minnesota Veterans’ Opportunity and Care Plan.

The One Minnesota Veterans’ Opportunity and Care Plan will help make Minnesota a national leader in state-provided care and services for veterans. The One Minnesota Veterans’ Opportunity and Care plan has three main components: Improving Care and Opportunity, Honoring Families, and Building Coalitions.

Reinvigorating State Veterans Homes: Veterans homes provide long-term care services for Minnesota’s veterans. As Governor, Tim will protect and expand the services of Minnesota Veterans Homes by:

Funding the continued renovation and modernizing of current facilities. This will protect the health and safety of residents and improve their quality of life.
Opening as many as three new veterans homes in Minnesota. This will be done by building off the partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and local communities who are fundraising and building local support. Governor Dayton and the State Legislature allocated funding for these new facilities in May 2018.
Prioritizing adequate funding to ensure all veterans homes are fully staffed and are able to provide the care the resident-veterans have earned and deserve. Expanding Access to Veterans Courts: Veterans Courts are a specialty court that works to hold veterans who commit crimes accountable, but also to ensure they get necessary treatment for addiction and psychological trauma they may have endured while serving. As Governor, Walz will expand access to these courts to provide diversion and treatment options for U.S. military veterans who are struggling with addiction and serious mental illness.

Increasing Funding for County Veterans Service Officers (CVSOs): CVSOs mission is to work one-on-one with Minnesota veterans and their families to help them apply for and obtain the benefits to which they are entitled, including assisting with suicide prevention education and outreach for veterans suffering from PTSD and addiction issues. Tim knows the support CVSOs provide is critical and as Governor, Walz will work to provide additional support for County Veterans Service Officers by:

Tripling county funding (a typical rural county gets $10,000 from the state for training and outreach);
Cutting red-tape by streamlining the paperwork to maximize CVSO impact and effectiveness;
Meeting the needs of Native American veterans who live on tribal lands and face unique challenges interfacing with the federal and state government.

Increasing Quality of Life for Disabled Veterans: Disabled veterans currently only receive a discount on hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses if their service-connected disability rating is 100% or more. As governor, Walz would work to lower the threshold so that more disabled veterans can enjoy the great outdoors and improve their quality of life.

Partnering with Labor: Ensuring veterans can find a job and provide for their families is critical. That is why as Governor, Tim Walz will partner with labor and other private organizations to ensure programs that connect veterans with good paying jobs, like Helmets to Hardhats, are getting the support they need to succeed.

Providing for Surviving Spouses: Currently, the Homestead Market Value Exclusion for surviving spouses is capped at 8 years. As Governor, Tim Walz would make this exclusion permanent by eliminating the eight-year cap. This change would allow the surviving spouse to receive the exclusion until they remarry, sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of the property.

Protecting Military Beneficiaries: As Governor, Tim Walz would crack down on bad actors trying to scam people out of money in the name of helping veterans and active military personnel. He would do this by:

Prohibiting a party from entering or attempting to enter into an agreement with a military beneficiary if that beneficiary assigns pay or other benefits to third party in a manner that violates federal law.
Protecting Veterans and beneficiaries from giving a source of income (i.e. pension) to bad actors like predatory lenders.

State Veterans Cemeteries: Ensuring each and every eligible Minnesota veteran and their family has the opportunity to be buried in such a cemetery if they choose honors the service and sacrifice of our veterans and their family. As Governor, Tim Walz will build off his work in Congress helping to start the Veterans Cemetery in Preston, MN by protecting and expanding the services of the Minnesota State Veterans Cemeteries.

Veterans Advisory Council and Inter-agency Roundtable Meeting: Tim Walz or a member of his administration will convene a quarterly meeting and invite representatives of local, county, state and federal governments— along with the private sector and veterans’ advocates—to join him in collaborating around how we can continue to improve our advocacy on behalf of Minnesota’s veterans. The purpose will be to share best practices, identify any holes in services and benefits, and develop solutions.^[22]

”

—Tim Walz for Governor^[23]

Jeff Johnson

Johnson's campaign website stated the following:

“

My Principles

I believe that government can only exercise authority granted to it in the Constitution.
I believe that people make better decisions about how to spend the money they earn than government.
I support school choice and the empowerment of parents to control the education of their children.
I believe the right to keep and bear arms for personal protection is a fundamental individual right.
I am pro-life.
My Christian faith guides every decision I make.

Taxes & Spending
Government’s appetite for overspending in Minnesota goes hand in hand with the desire to push government programs and regulations into every corner of our lives.

I believe we need to cut taxes and reduce the size and power of government. We’ll start by cutting income taxes, the death tax and license tab fees, ending the taxation of social security benefits and instituting an Automatic Taxpayer Refund when government over-taxes Minnesotans.

Taxes and spending issues are not only economic, they are moral. Empowering Minnesotans starts with us deciding how our hard-earned money is spent--not government. Reducing spending levels and increasing take-home pay will result in a badly needed explosion of economic activity, growth, and opportunity.

Jobs
All Minnesotans deserve an economy where hard work is the only limit to success. The way to achieve this is to create an environment that encourages our small-business owners and embraces both the jobs of today and tomorrow. Our government has failed miserably to do this and instead has been a direct obstacle--this changes on Day One of the Johnson Administration.

Whether it’s taxes, regulations or a government attitude of helping rather than antagonizing job creators, I will work every day as your governor to make Minnesota’s business climate competitive with those states that surround us.

Government Reform
Our state desperately needs a fundamental change in the size, scope, and philosophy of government. In short, this means taking power away from government and giving it back to the people of Minnesota. We must--and will--create a mindset in government that it is a servant of the people, not the other way around. This will have a lasting, positive impact on Minnesota for generations.

Achieving this fundamental change will be the overriding mission of the Johnson Administration. As a start, I will push for term limits, initiate a top-to-bottom audit of the programs Minnesota taxpayers fund and veto any omnibus bill that does not adhere to the single-subject rule. And most importantly, we will rein in arrogant state agencies like the DNR, MPCA and every other bureaucracy that doesn't understand they exist to serve us, not control us.

K-12 Education
I believe that parents, not the state or the education unions, are the best decision-makers when it comes to the education of a child. We must empower parents to make those decisions and allow teachers the freedom to teach without unending interference from politicians.

To begin this process, we will radically simplify our K-12 education funding formula, start to eliminate some of the many state mandates on our schools and teachers, and do everything possible to allow real education choice for every parent in Minnesota. As governor, I will confront head-on the political indoctrination of our kids in some of our public schools.

The Constitution
The state and federal constitutions are not lists of suggestions, but the concrete operating rules for our government. I view the Constitution as my job description as governor.

Healthcare
Between the skyrocketing cost of health insurance and the declining lack of access in Greater Minnesota, nearly every Minnesota family has been increasingly impacted. MNsure has been a complete disaster and has proven that new approaches are desperately needed.

I will work to return the power over health care to patients and citizens, and take advantage of federal waivers allowing Minnesota to abandon the provisions of Obamacare that have limited choice and increased costs. I will also start negotiating with other Midwestern states to increase competition by creating an interstate compact to sell and buy insurance across state lines.

Transportation
Transportation is the lifeblood of Minnesota’s economy and also directly impacts quality of life. By employing common sense and long-term planning there is no reason we can’t achieve great roads and solve our broader transportation issues without breaking the bank.

The Johnson Administration will put a moratorium on light rail and focus transit money on a first-class bus system. In the Metro, I’ll base my transportation funding decisions on projects that relieve congestion and provide mobility to the citizens of Minnesota.

Life
There is no more important issue than protecting innocent life. Not only is this a moral issue, recent breakthroughs in science and technology have made even more clear that we must protect the life of the unborn. I am Pro-Life and believe in the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.

Immigration
Though hard to believe, the DFL candidates for governor support the concept of "sanctuary cities" and, in fact, want to make Minnesota a "sanctuary state." This would mean that local law enforcement would be prohibited from working with federal agents tasked with enforcing our country's immigration laws. I will not allow Minnesota to become a sanctuary state and will work with the legislature to ban sanctuary cities in Minnesota.

The federal refugee resettlement program in Minnesota has become very divisive and problematic. Minnesota has been extremely open to refugees in recent years: Minnesota has 2% of the nation's population, but 13% of the nation's refugees. In addition, in the most recent two-year period, Minnesota's secondary refugee migration (those who came first to another state but moved to Minnesota) was greater than all 49 other states combined. And the cost to communities has been very substantial. For these reasons I have called for an IMMEDIATE STOP to the refugee resettlement program in Minnesota. As governor, I will meet with President Trump and Attorney General Sessions to explain this situation in detail and inform them that our participation in the program will end until we tell them otherwise.

Public Safety
The role of government in our lives should be as limited as possible, but providing for the public safety of all Minnesotans is one of the most important jobs of government.

While I have always supported alternatives to incarceration for low-level, nonviolent offenders and believe strongly in providing second chances for those who make mistakes, we have one of the lowest incarceration rates in the country and violent criminals must be locked up and very violent criminals must be locked up for a very long time. Under my administration, Minnesota will be a safe place for law-abiding citizens and a terrible place for violent criminals.

Agriculture and Natural Resources
Minnesota’s economy was built on agriculture and our natural resources.

That’s not to say that farming, logging and mining are the only parts of the economy that matter, but they provide the rock-solid foundation upon which many other industries have been built.

Yet government is doing little but getting in the way of people who work the land. Government permitting too often harasses farmers, miners lose jobs because of bureaucrats and regulations and loggers often are treated as pariahs.

I grew up in rural Minnesota. I know what a blessing our natural resources are, and that the people whose livelihoods depend upon using them are better stewards of the land than any bureaucrat in St. Paul.

I believe we can have copper/nickel mining in Northern Minnesota AND protect our environment. I'll be an advocate as governor to move these projects forward.

Second Amendment
The U.S. Constitution is unequivocal: “A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

Self-defense is a fundamental individual right and creating new “gun control” restrictions on law-abiding citizens will only leave guns in the hands of criminals.

Metropolitan Council
I’m on the ground fighting the Met Council every single day on the Hennepin County Board. The damage this organization does is not hypothetical to me and I will work aggressively to eliminate it entirely and start over with a limited regional body (without taxing authority) to coordinate sewer and water service lines and an integrated bus system.

We cannot “tinker” with the Met Council. It must go.^[22]

”

—Johnson for Governor^[24]

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Tim Walz
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Other 2018 statewide elections

See also: States with both gubernatorial and U.S. Senate elections in 2018

This race took place in one of twenty-two states that held elections for both governor and U.S. Senate in 2018.

A table of where these elections occurred, the names of incumbents prior to the 2018 elections, and links to our coverage of these races can be viewed by clicking "[show]" on the banner below:

States holding both Gubernatorial and Senate elections in 2018
State	Incumbent Governor	Open Seat?	Incumbent Senator	Open Seat?
Arizona	Doug Ducey	No	Jeff Flake	Yes
California	Jerry Brown	Yes	Dianne Feinstein	No
Connecticut	Dan Malloy	Yes	Chris Murphy	No
Florida	Rick Scott	Yes	Bill Nelson	No
Hawaii	David Ige	No	Mazie Hirono	No
Maine	Paul LePage	Yes	Angus King	No
Maryland	Larry Hogan	No	Ben Cardin	No
Massachusetts	Charlie Baker	No	Elizabeth Warren	No
Michigan	Rick Snyder	Yes	Debbie Stabenow	No
Minnesota	Mark Dayton	Yes	Amy Klobuchar	No
Nebraska	Pete Ricketts	No	Deb Fischer	No
Nevada	Brian Sandoval	Yes	Dean Heller	No
New Mexico	Susana Martinez	Yes	Martin Heinrich	No
New York	Andrew Cuomo	No	Kirsten Gillibrand	No
Ohio	John Kasich	Yes	Sherrod Brown	No
Pennsylvania	Tom Wolf	No	Bob Casey, Jr.	No
Rhode Island	Gina Raimondo	No	Sheldon Whitehouse	No
Tennessee	Bill Haslam	Yes	Bob Corker	Yes
Texas	Greg Abbott	No	Ted Cruz	No
Vermont	Phil Scott	No	Bernie Sanders	No
Wisconsin	Scott Walker	No	Tammy Baldwin	No
Wyoming	Matt Mead	Yes	John Barrasso	No

Democratic winning streak

See also: Winning streaks in 2018 gubernatorial elections

Walz's victory in the general election was the third in a series beginning with Mark Dayton's (D) victory in 2010. This is the third time in state history that Democrats have won three consecutive gubernatorial elections, with the other two winning streaks occurring in 1904-1908 and 1954-1958. The longest Republican winning streak in state history was 19 elections, occurring between 1859 and 1896.

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Nineteen of 87 Minnesota counties—21.8 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County	Trump margin of victory in 2016	Obama margin of victory in 2012	Obama margin of victory in 2008
Beltrami County, Minnesota	9.72%	9.89%	10.15%
Blue Earth County, Minnesota	3.69%	9.48%	12.95%
Chippewa County, Minnesota	28.70%	1.87%	5.87%
Clay County, Minnesota	1.95%	7.92%	16.02%
Fillmore County, Minnesota	21.70%	7.34%	8.26%
Freeborn County, Minnesota	17.24%	14.11%	17.13%
Houston County, Minnesota	13.87%	3.16%	10.69%
Itasca County, Minnesota	16.35%	9.83%	12.92%
Kittson County, Minnesota	22.05%	6.03%	18.54%
Koochiching County, Minnesota	19.85%	9.45%	10.10%
Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota	25.60%	0.90%	5.92%
Mahnomen County, Minnesota	2.92%	18.56%	25.31%
Mower County, Minnesota	7.82%	22.61%	23.61%
Nicollet County, Minnesota	3.04%	7.83%	10.52%
Norman County, Minnesota	13.34%	10.79%	26.94%
Rice County, Minnesota	3.06%	8.27%	11.50%
Swift County, Minnesota	25.57%	9.83%	13.79%
Traverse County, Minnesota	23.30%	4.44%	5.41%
Winona County, Minnesota	2.90%	12.85%	19.09%

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Minnesota with 46.4 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 44.9 percent. In presidential elections between 1860 and 2016, Minnesota voted Republican 50 percent of the time and Democratic 47.5 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Minnesota voted Democratic all five times.^[25]

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Minnesota. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.^[26]^[27]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 68 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 27.6 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 62 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 30.4 points. Clinton won 12 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.

In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 66 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 12.3 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 72 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 23.8 points. Trump won seven districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.

2016 presidential results by state House district
District	Obama	Romney	2012 Margin	Clinton	Trump	2016 Margin	Party Control
1A	43.15%	54.54%	R+11.4	27.87%	64.99%	R+37.1	R
1B	46.10%	51.92%	R+5.8	31.45%	61.37%	R+29.9	R
2A	48.08%	50.09%	R+2	33.59%	60.04%	R+26.4	R
2B	42.17%	56.05%	R+13.9	29.64%	64.36%	R+34.7	R
3A	55.31%	42.36%	D+13	43.14%	49.65%	R+6.5	D
3B	60.19%	38.11%	D+22.1	50.13%	42.59%	D+7.5	D
4A	55.32%	42.31%	D+13	48.97%	41.71%	D+7.3	D
4B	46.65%	51.41%	R+4.8	35.41%	57.18%	R+21.8	D
5A	52.05%	45.83%	D+6.2	39.67%	51.97%	R+12.3	R
5B	49.48%	48.58%	D+0.9	35.93%	57.00%	R+21.1	R
6A	63.20%	34.57%	D+28.6	44.68%	47.85%	R+3.2	D
6B	61.82%	35.90%	D+25.9	45.05%	47.77%	R+2.7	D
7A	67.15%	30.27%	D+36.9	62.12%	28.28%	D+33.8	D
7B	69.99%	27.63%	D+42.4	59.01%	32.66%	D+26.3	D
8A	39.32%	59.07%	R+19.8	31.05%	62.92%	R+31.9	R
8B	40.24%	57.98%	R+17.7	27.72%	65.66%	R+37.9	R
9A	37.61%	60.36%	R+22.7	23.48%	70.76%	R+47.3	R
9B	37.60%	60.41%	R+22.8	21.44%	73.05%	R+51.6	R
10A	42.68%	55.47%	R+12.8	31.71%	61.41%	R+29.7	R
10B	44.58%	53.66%	R+9.1	31.38%	62.81%	R+31.4	R
11A	62.19%	35.79%	D+26.4	46.93%	45.13%	D+1.8	D
11B	46.72%	50.92%	R+4.2	31.58%	61.39%	R+29.8	R
12A	46.30%	51.70%	R+5.4	32.87%	59.48%	R+26.6	R
12B	36.32%	61.98%	R+25.7	23.78%	70.60%	R+46.8	R
13A	41.20%	57.04%	R+15.8	29.40%	63.98%	R+34.6	R
13B	40.74%	57.46%	R+16.7	29.76%	63.36%	R+33.6	R
14A	47.70%	50.25%	R+2.6	40.14%	51.73%	R+11.6	R
14B	53.28%	43.56%	D+9.7	43.47%	46.88%	R+3.4	R
15A	42.24%	55.67%	R+13.4	26.60%	66.72%	R+40.1	R
15B	34.92%	62.92%	R+28	21.90%	71.37%	R+49.5	R
16A	45.53%	52.33%	R+6.8	31.31%	60.77%	R+29.5	R
16B	40.08%	57.64%	R+17.6	26.83%	64.99%	R+38.2	R
17A	47.24%	50.94%	R+3.7	29.82%	63.25%	R+33.4	R
17B	47.10%	51.19%	R+4.1	34.89%	57.60%	R+22.7	R
18A	39.80%	57.83%	R+18	26.88%	65.04%	R+38.2	R
18B	37.06%	60.70%	R+23.6	25.23%	67.02%	R+41.8	R
19A	52.51%	45.09%	D+7.4	43.51%	47.62%	R+4.1	D
19B	57.05%	39.91%	D+17.1	48.70%	40.94%	D+7.8	D
20A	40.38%	57.73%	R+17.4	30.47%	62.58%	R+32.1	R
20B	53.95%	43.71%	D+10.2	47.02%	45.86%	D+1.2	D
21A	51.06%	46.99%	D+4.1	40.39%	51.63%	R+11.2	R
21B	44.07%	53.85%	R+9.8	30.94%	61.07%	R+30.1	R
22A	41.53%	56.48%	R+14.9	26.80%	66.15%	R+39.4	R
22B	44.04%	54.37%	R+10.3	30.63%	63.03%	R+32.4	R
23A	39.08%	58.83%	R+19.8	26.82%	66.32%	R+39.5	R
23B	47.30%	50.57%	R+3.3	32.70%	59.47%	R+26.8	R
24A	45.64%	52.20%	R+6.6	33.70%	57.84%	R+24.1	R
24B	47.07%	50.66%	R+3.6	33.44%	58.77%	R+25.3	R
25A	45.24%	52.32%	R+7.1	37.03%	52.94%	R+15.9	R
25B	53.14%	44.51%	D+8.6	50.23%	40.22%	D+10	D
26A	57.64%	39.78%	D+17.9	54.11%	36.72%	D+17.4	D
26B	44.47%	53.59%	R+9.1	38.48%	53.17%	R+14.7	R
27A	55.57%	42.31%	D+13.3	37.42%	55.76%	R+18.3	R
27B	59.95%	37.84%	D+22.1	41.96%	50.58%	R+8.6	D
28A	56.63%	40.82%	D+15.8	46.44%	44.13%	D+2.3	D
28B	51.67%	46.36%	D+5.3	37.30%	55.31%	R+18	R
29A	37.73%	60.22%	R+22.5	28.82%	63.10%	R+34.3	R
29B	40.42%	57.50%	R+17.1	30.71%	61.38%	R+30.7	R
30A	39.60%	58.57%	R+19	30.48%	61.61%	R+31.1	R
30B	36.49%	61.79%	R+25.3	29.58%	62.31%	R+32.7	R
31A	35.58%	62.46%	R+26.9	23.94%	69.10%	R+45.2	R
31B	38.58%	59.53%	R+20.9	29.00%	63.74%	R+34.7	R
32A	41.06%	56.85%	R+15.8	28.13%	64.23%	R+36.1	R
32B	42.98%	55.07%	R+12.1	31.50%	60.69%	R+29.2	R
33A	36.20%	62.39%	R+26.2	37.84%	54.78%	R+16.9	R
33B	43.71%	54.67%	R+11	46.18%	45.68%	D+0.5	R
34A	40.35%	58.12%	R+17.8	40.80%	51.26%	R+10.5	R
34B	46.78%	51.60%	R+4.8	47.91%	43.62%	D+4.3	R
35A	45.40%	52.32%	R+6.9	37.77%	53.46%	R+15.7	R
35B	41.04%	57.50%	R+16.5	36.48%	55.65%	R+19.2	R
36A	48.54%	49.44%	R+0.9	44.09%	47.07%	R+3	R
36B	53.38%	45.11%	D+8.3	52.16%	40.08%	D+12.1	D
37A	53.32%	44.53%	D+8.8	45.38%	46.05%	R+0.7	D
37B	48.64%	49.49%	R+0.9	43.74%	48.04%	R+4.3	R
38A	44.17%	53.89%	R+9.7	40.36%	51.11%	R+10.7	R
38B	46.39%	51.99%	R+5.6	45.39%	46.56%	R+1.2	R
39A	45.12%	53.25%	R+8.1	40.85%	51.57%	R+10.7	R
39B	47.78%	50.62%	R+2.8	45.97%	46.25%	R+0.3	R
40A	69.71%	28.69%	D+41	67.81%	26.13%	D+41.7	D
40B	68.60%	29.42%	D+39.2	65.29%	27.68%	D+37.6	D
41A	59.61%	38.36%	D+21.2	55.79%	35.28%	D+20.5	D
41B	62.30%	35.32%	D+27	62.11%	29.12%	D+33	D
42A	51.48%	46.50%	D+5	52.61%	38.39%	D+14.2	R
42B	56.76%	41.28%	D+15.5	56.05%	35.37%	D+20.7	D
43A	56.52%	41.92%	D+14.6	54.01%	38.15%	D+15.9	D
43B	57.50%	40.33%	D+17.2	52.35%	39.35%	D+13	D
44A	47.99%	50.66%	R+2.7	53.47%	38.83%	D+14.6	R
44B	54.39%	44.30%	D+10.1	57.27%	35.36%	D+21.9	D
45A	59.17%	38.72%	D+20.5	58.13%	33.53%	D+24.6	D
45B	63.39%	34.34%	D+29.1	64.02%	27.43%	D+36.6	D
46A	64.31%	33.66%	D+30.7	66.50%	25.81%	D+40.7	D
46B	65.79%	32.01%	D+33.8	68.45%	23.31%	D+45.1	D
47A	35.32%	63.07%	R+27.7	31.29%	60.91%	R+29.6	R
47B	42.17%	56.19%	R+14	44.19%	47.17%	R+3	R
48A	52.14%	46.19%	D+5.9	55.55%	36.50%	D+19.1	D
48B	46.72%	51.70%	R+5	53.09%	39.54%	D+13.6	R
49A	52.29%	46.68%	D+5.6	60.37%	32.60%	D+27.8	R
49B	52.45%	46.18%	D+6.3	56.50%	36.35%	D+20.2	D
50A	63.81%	33.98%	D+29.8	61.93%	29.97%	D+32	D
50B	56.96%	40.99%	D+16	55.51%	36.29%	D+19.2	D
51A	55.56%	42.44%	D+13.1	54.45%	37.27%	D+17.2	D
51B	51.44%	46.79%	D+4.7	54.17%	37.06%	D+17.1	D
52A	58.72%	39.32%	D+19.4	56.76%	34.99%	D+21.8	D
52B	52.90%	45.36%	D+7.5	49.95%	42.08%	D+7.9	R
53A	56.63%	41.59%	D+15	54.59%	37.63%	D+17	D
53B	46.78%	51.95%	R+5.2	50.81%	42.01%	D+8.8	R
54A	55.87%	41.75%	D+14.1	46.83%	43.55%	D+3.3	R
54B	49.32%	48.74%	D+0.6	42.76%	48.63%	R+5.9	R
55A	46.18%	51.67%	R+5.5	43.39%	47.89%	R+4.5	R
55B	38.11%	60.15%	R+22	34.43%	57.98%	R+23.5	R
56A	47.26%	50.85%	R+3.6	47.12%	44.13%	D+3	R
56B	49.26%	48.97%	D+0.3	48.62%	43.89%	D+4.7	R
57A	50.85%	47.34%	D+3.5	49.06%	42.78%	D+6.3	D
57B	48.75%	49.64%	R+0.9	48.21%	43.72%	D+4.5	R
58A	42.24%	56.02%	R+13.8	40.36%	51.99%	R+11.6	R
58B	42.46%	55.75%	R+13.3	34.86%	57.04%	R+22.2	R
59A	84.23%	13.96%	D+70.3	78.85%	13.74%	D+65.1	D
59B	80.65%	17.23%	D+63.4	79.46%	13.04%	D+66.4	D
60A	77.47%	18.61%	D+58.9	76.38%	14.48%	D+61.9	D
60B	76.39%	19.31%	D+57.1	79.57%	11.88%	D+67.7	D
61A	78.23%	19.40%	D+58.8	81.47%	12.06%	D+69.4	D
61B	78.20%	19.94%	D+58.3	81.29%	12.45%	D+68.8	D
62A	86.72%	9.26%	D+77.5	84.08%	7.57%	D+76.5	D
62B	86.87%	10.09%	D+76.8	85.70%	6.89%	D+78.8	D
63A	82.84%	14.33%	D+68.5	81.97%	10.62%	D+71.4	D
63B	73.83%	23.99%	D+49.8	73.80%	18.58%	D+55.2	D
64A	76.89%	20.30%	D+56.6	78.82%	13.58%	D+65.2	D
64B	70.63%	27.37%	D+43.3	74.41%	18.39%	D+56	D
65A	83.74%	13.76%	D+70	80.78%	12.13%	D+68.6	D
65B	77.60%	19.70%	D+57.9	74.28%	17.59%	D+56.7	D
66A	65.92%	31.91%	D+34	67.89%	23.85%	D+44	D
66B	78.86%	18.90%	D+60	76.62%	15.90%	D+60.7	D
67A	76.07%	21.79%	D+54.3	70.99%	21.62%	D+49.4	D
67B	74.76%	23.00%	D+51.8	70.67%	22.02%	D+48.6	D
Total	52.84%	45.12%	D+7.7	46.88%	45.34%	D+1.5	-
Source: Daily Kos

Election history

2014

	2022 → ← 2014
Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election;
Election details
	Filing deadline: June 5, 2018
	Primary: August 14, 2018; General: November 6, 2018; Pre-election incumbent(s):; Gov. Mark Dayton (Democrat); Lt. Gov. Michelle Fischbach (Republican)
How to vote
	Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Voting in Minnesota
Race ratings
	Cook Political Report: Likely Democratic; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic; Inside Elections: Likely Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
	Federal and state primary competitiveness; State executive elections in 2018; Impact of term limits in 2018; State government trifectas; State government triplexes; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
Minnesota; executive elections
	Governor; Lieutenant governor; Attorney general; Secretary of state; Auditor

See also: Minnesota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

In the 2014 gubernatorial election, incumbent Mark Dayton (D) defeated Jeff Johnson (R).

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Mark Dayton/Tina Smith Incumbent	50.1%	989,113
	Republican	Jeff Johnson/Bill Kuisle	44.5%	879,257
	Independence	Hannah Nicollet/Tim Gieseke	2.9%	56,900
	Grassroots Party	Chris Wright/David Daniels	1.6%	31,259
	Libertarian	Chris Holbrook/Chris Dock	0.9%	18,082
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.1%	1,134
Total Votes				1,975,745
Election results via Minnesota Secretary of State

2010

See also: Minnesota gubernatorial election, 2010

In the 2010 gubernatorial election, Mark Dayton (D) defeated Tom Emmer (R).

Governor/Lt. Governor of Minnesota, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Mark Dayton/Yvonne Prettner Solon	43.6%	919,232
	Republican	Tom Emmer/Annette Meeks	43.2%	910,462
	Independence	Tom Horner/James A. Mulder	11.9%	251,487
	Grassroots Party	Chris Wright/Edwin H. Engelmann	0.4%	7,516
	Green	Farheen Hakeem/Dan Dittmann	0.3%	6,188
	Ecology Democracy Party	Ken Pentel/Erin Wallace	0.3%	6,180
	The Resource Party	Linda S. Eno/Howard B. Hanson	0.2%	4,092
	Write-In	Various	0.1%	1,864
Total Votes				2,107,021
Election results via Minnesota Secretary of State

Wave election analysis

See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)

The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?

Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.

Applying this definition to gubernatorial elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose seven seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.

The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 11 gubernatorial waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.

Gubernatorial wave elections
Year	President	Party	Election type	Gubernatorial seats change	Elections analyzed^[28]
1970	Nixon	R	First midterm	-12	35
1922	Harding	R	First midterm	-11	33
1932	Hoover	R	Presidential	-10	35
1920	Wilson	D	Presidential	-10	36
1994	Clinton	D	First midterm	-10	36
1930	Hoover	R	First midterm	-9	33
1938	Roosevelt	D	Second midterm	-9	33
1966	Johnson	D	First midterm^[29]	-9	35
1954	Eisenhower	R	First midterm	-8	33
1982	Reagan	R	First midterm	-7	36
2010	Obama	D	First midterm	-7	33

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Minnesota heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

Following the 2016 elections, Democrats held both U.S. Senate seats in Minnesota.
Democrats held 5 of 8 U.S. House seats in Minnesota.

State executives

The governor of Minnesota was Democrat Mark Dayton. The state held an election for governor and lieutenant governor on November 6, 2018.

State legislature

Republicans had a 77-56 majority in the state House. The state Senate was tied, with 33 Republicans and 33 Democrats.

Trifecta status

Minnesota was under divided government, meaning that the two parties shared control of the state government. Mark Dayton (D) served as governor, while Republicans controlled the state legislature.

2018 elections

See also: Minnesota elections, 2018

Minnesota held elections for the following positions in 2018:

Two U.S. Senate seats (one regular election and one special election)
8 U.S. House seats
Governor and lieutenant governor
Five lower state executive positions
134 state House seats
One state Senate seat
Municipal elections in St. Paul, Hennepin County, and Ramsey County

Demographics

Demographic data for Minnesota
	Minnesota	U.S.
Total population:	5,482,435	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	79,627	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	84.8%	73.6%
Black/African American:	5.5%	12.6%
Asian:	4.4%	5.1%
Native American:	1%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.7%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	5%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	92.4%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	33.7%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$61,492	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	12.2%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Minnesota. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2016, Minnesota's three largest cities were Minneapolis (pop. est. 422,000), St. Paul (pop. est. 307,000), and Rochester (pop. est. 116,000).^[30]

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Minnesota from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Minnesota Secretary of State.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Minnesota every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Minnesota 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016	Hillary Clinton	46.4%	Donald Trump	44.9%	1.5%
2012	Barack Obama	52.7%	Mitt Romney	45.0%	7.7%
2008	Barack Obama	54.1%	John McCain	43.8%	10.3%
2004	John Kerry	51.1%	George W. Bush	47.6%	3.5%
2000	Al Gore	47.9%	George W. Bush	45.5%	2.4%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Minnesota from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Minnesota 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2014	Al Franken	53.2%	Mike McFadden	42.9%	10.3%
2012	Amy Klobuchar	65.2%	Kurt Bills	30.5%	34.7%
2008	Al Franken	41.99%	Norm Coleman	41.98%	0.01%
2006	Amy Klobuchar	58.1%	Mark Kennedy	37.9%	20.2%
2002	Norm Coleman	49.5%	Walter Mondale	47.3%	2.2%
2000	Mark Dayton	48.8%	Rod Grams	43.3%	5.5%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Minnesota.

Election results (Governor), Minnesota 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2014	Mark Dayton	50.1%	Jeff Johnson	44.5%	5.6%
2010	Mark Dayton	43.6%	Tom Emmer	43.2%	0.4%
2006	Tim Pawlenty	46.7%	Mike Hatch	45.7%	1.0%
2002	Tim Pawlenty	44.4%	Roger Moe	36.5%	7.9%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Minnesota in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Minnesota 2000-2016
Year	Republicans	Republicans (%)	Democrats	Democrats (%)	Balance of power
2016	3	37.5%	5	62.5%	D+2
2014	3	37.5%	5	62.5%	D+2
2012	3	37.5%	5	62.5%	D+2
2010	4	50.0%	4	50.0%	Even
2008	3	37.5%	5	62.5%	D+2
2006	3	37.5%	5	62.5%	D+2
2004	4	50.0%	4	50.0%	Even
2002	4	50.0%	4	50.0%	Even
2000	3	37.5%	5	62.5%	D+2

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

Minnesota Party Control: 1992-2024
Four years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	I	I	I	I	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D
House	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Minnesota governor election 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Minnesota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018 - Google News

External links

Suggest a link

Footnotes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Walz for Governor, "Home," accessed September 17, 2018
↑ Walz for Governor, "What Minnesotans Need to Know," September 17, 2018
↑ Youtube, "What's Right," July 19, 2018
↑ Youtube, "Jeff Johnson for Governor: Fundamental Change," June 30, 2018
↑ Johnson for Governor ,"Home," accessed September 17, 2018
↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
↑ Star Tribune, "Ad campaign thrusts health care into governor's race," September 11, 2018
↑ Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, "Search independent expenditures (candidate)," accessed September 17, 2018
↑ Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "GOP governors group plans $2.3M campaign in Minnesota race, even more in Wisconsin," April 9, 2018
↑ Twitter, "Brian Bakst," October 1, 2018
↑ Twitter, "Brian Bakst," October 12, 2018
↑ Twitter, "Medium Buying," October 18, 2018
↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
↑ Star Tribune, "Election endorsement: Tim Walz, a uniter, for governor," October 26, 2018
↑ Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "Donald Trump tweets what Jeff Johnson has wanted to hear: You have my endorsement." August 15, 2018
↑ The Mankato Free Press, "PHOTOS: President Trump rally in Rochester," October 4, 2018
↑ ^22.0 ^22.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
↑ Tim Walz for Governor, "Home Page," accessed June 6, 2021
↑ Johnson for Governor, "Issues," accessed September 17, 2018
↑ 270towin.com, "Minnesota," accessed June 29, 2017
↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
↑ The number of gubernatorial seats up for election varies, with as many as 36 seats and as few as 12 seats being up in a single even-numbered year.
↑ Lyndon Johnson's (D) first term began in November 1963 after the death of President John F. Kennedy (D), who was first elected in 1960. Before Johnson had his first midterm in 1966, he was re-elected president in 1964.
↑ Minnesota Demographics, "Minnesota Cities by Population," accessed September 4, 2018

[WalzHomepage-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Walz for Governor, "Home," accessed September 17, 2018

[WalzCheatSheet-2] Walz for Governor, "What Minnesotans Need to Know," September 17, 2018

[3] Youtube, "What's Right," July 19, 2018

[4] Youtube, "Jeff Johnson for Governor: Fundamental Change," June 30, 2018

[5] Johnson for Governor ,"Home," accessed September 17, 2018

[definition-6] OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015

[stats-7] OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015

[8] National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015

[9] Star Tribune, "Ad campaign thrusts health care into governor's race," September 11, 2018

[10] Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, "Search independent expenditures (candidate)," accessed September 17, 2018

[11] Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "GOP governors group plans $2.3M campaign in Minnesota race, even more in Wisconsin," April 9, 2018

[12] Twitter, "Brian Bakst," October 1, 2018

[13] Twitter, "Brian Bakst," October 12, 2018

[14] Twitter, "Medium Buying," October 18, 2018

[15] Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.

[16] Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018

[17] Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018

[18] Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018

[19] Star Tribune, "Election endorsement: Tim Walz, a uniter, for governor," October 26, 2018

[20] Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "Donald Trump tweets what Jeff Johnson has wanted to hear: You have my endorsement." August 15, 2018

[21] The Mankato Free Press, "PHOTOS: President Trump rally in Rochester," October 4, 2018

[quotedisclaimer-22] 22.0 ^22.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[23] Tim Walz for Governor, "Home Page," accessed June 6, 2021

[24] Johnson for Governor, "Issues," accessed September 17, 2018

[25] 270towin.com, "Minnesota," accessed June 29, 2017

[26] Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013

[27] Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017

[28] The number of gubernatorial seats up for election varies, with as many as 36 seats and as few as 12 seats being up in a single even-numbered year.

[LBJ-29] Lyndon Johnson's (D) first term began in November 1963 after the death of President John F. Kennedy (D), who was first elected in 1960. Before Johnson had his first midterm in 1966, he was re-elected president in 1964.

[30] Minnesota Demographics, "Minnesota Cities by Population," accessed September 4, 2018

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