MINNESOTA
      Aug. 14, 2018 Primary Election

Open Seat
(Aug. 2018) The race to succeed retiring two-term Gov. Mark Dayton (DFL) drew many candidates with a range of experience in elective office and the private sector.  Republicans have not won a statewide office in 12 years, but Trump came close to carrying the state in 2016, falling short by 44,765 votes (1.52 percentage points) out of more than 2.9 million votes cast. The 2018 cycle is proving to be a busy one for Minnesota.  The resignation of Sen. Al Franken means two U.S. Senate seats will be up, and there are open U.S. House seats

Earliest of the major candidates to announce for governor was state Rep. Erin Murphy (DFL) in Nov. 2016; last in was Attorney General Lori Swanson (DFL) in June 2018 after she failed to secure the DFL endorsement at the party's convention.  Most of the candidates announced during the course of 2017.  Precinct caucus straw polls held by both parties on the evening of Feb. 6, 2018 helped winnow the field.  The state party conventions at the beginning of June 2018 further clarified the race.  As the primary approached three major candidates contested the DFL nomination and two vied for the Republican nomination.  Candidates' choices for lieutenant governor are interesting to watch.  Candidates often try to achieve gender balance with their picks; there are differences in the timing of the running mate announcements and the role the number twos play and their prominence in the campaign.  In Minnesota candidates for governor (and other legislative and constitiutional offices) can qualify for public subsidies overseen by the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board (>). 

In the DFL primary, Tim Walz won with 41.6% of the vote followed by Erin Murphy at 32.0%, Lori Swanson at 24.6% and Tim Holden at 1.1%.  In the Republican primary Jeff Johnson won with 52.6% to 43.9% for former Gov. Tim Pawlenty and 3.5% for Matt Kruse.

In November, in addition to the major party candidates, several third party candidates will also be on the ballot.

Major Party Candidates
DFL
Announced
 (Withdrew)
 Running Mate
 Announced
Erin Murphy
 Nov. 17, 2016
Erin Maye Quade
 June 3, 2018
Lori Swanson
 June 4, 2018
Rick Nolan
 June 4, 2018
Tim Walz
 Mar. 27, 2017
Peggy Flanagan
 Oct. 5, 2017
Rebecca Otto
 Jan. 9, 2017
 June 4, 2018
 Zarina Baber
 May 21, 2018
Tina Liebling
 Apr. 2, 2017
 Mar. 12, 2018

Chris Coleman
 Dec.  13, 2016
 Feb. 12, 2018

Paul Thissen
 June 15, 2017
 Feb. 7, 2018

         Other DFL Candidates: Tim Holden/James Mellin II; Ole Savior/Chris Edman.

GOP
 Announced
 (Withdrew)
 Running Mate
 Announced
Jeff Johnson
 May 10, 2017
Donna Bergstrom
 May 14, 2018
Tim Pawlenty
 Apr. 5, 2018
Michelle Fischbach
 May 31, 2018
Mary Giuliani Stephens
 Nov. 29, 2017
 June 2, 2018
 Jeff Backer
 May 2, 2018
Keith Downey
 July 24, 2017
 Apr. 18, 2018

Matt Dean
 Apr. 26, 2017
 Jan. 25, 2018

Dave Osmek
 Aug. 22, 2017
 Jan. 8, 2018

Blake Huffman
 April 18, 2017
 Sept. 3, 2017

         Other former GOP candidates include Bob Carney, Jr.; Lance Johnson; Phillip Parrish; and Jeffrey Wharton

        
        Major Candidates

 On the Ballot


  






missing: Pawlenty

missing: Swanson



Former Candidates


  












missing: Liebling



missing: Osmek, Huffman


Hats in the Ring: Major Candidate Announcements
DFL
 Murphy
 Coleman
 Otto
Walz
 Liebling
Thissen










Swanson

Nov.
16
 Dec.
16
 Jan. 17
 Feb.
 Mar.
 Apr.
 May
 Jun.
 Jul.
 Aug.
 Sep.
 Oct.
 Nov.
 Dec.
 Jan. 18
 Feb.
 Mar.
 Apr.
 May
 Jun.
GOP




Huffman
Dean
 Johnson
Downey
 Osmek

Stephens



Pawlenty


Out of the Ring: Major Candidates Leave the Race
DFL














Thissen
Coleman
 Liebling

Otto

Nov.
16
 Dec.
16
 Jan. 17
 Feb.
 Mar.
 Apr.
 May
 Jun.
 Jul.
 Aug.
 Sep.
 Oct.
 Nov.
 Dec.
 Jan. 18
 Feb.
 Mar.
 Apr.
 May
 Jun.
GOP









Huffman


Osmek
Dean

Downey
Stephens

On the Issues
Murphy/Maye-Quade
 Swanson/Nolan
 Walz/Flanagan
 Johnson/Bergstrom
 Pawlenty/Fischbach


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