Elections were held in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

on November 4, 2008.

Primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

s took place on September 9, 2008.

Federal

President and Vice President of the United States

The 2008 presidential election pitted Illinois Democratic Senator

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

against Arizona Republican Senator John McCain. Minnesota was considered a swing state in the election. Both major-party candidates made high-profile visits to the state. Obama gave a speech declaring victory in the Democratic primaries in June of that year at the Xcel Energy Center. The venue was used three months later to host the

2008 Republican National Convention The 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008. The first day of the Republican Party's convention fell on Labor Day, the last day of the popu ...

in September where McCain accepted the nomination of the Republican Party. Obama went on to win the state in the November election, earning all ten of its electoral votes.

United States Senate

Incumbent Republican Senator

Norm Coleman Norman Bertram Coleman Jr. (born August 17, 1949) is an American politician, attorney, and lobbyist. From 2003 to 2009, he served as a United States Senator for Minnesota. From 1994 to 2002, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota. First elected ...

was challenged by

radio host A radio personality (American English) or radio presenter (British English) is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host, and in India and Pakistan as a radi ...

and

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audience dir ...

DFLer

Al Franken Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American comedian, politician, media personality, and author who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. He gained fame as a writer and performer on the television comed ...

and former Independence Senator Dean Barkley. The race was close, requiring a recount followed by several legal challenges that would prevent a winner from being seated until July 2009. While Coleman held a slight lead at the end of election night, the subsequent recount ultimately gave Al Franken a 225-vote lead. A legal challenge by Coleman was unsuccessful and Franken was eventually certified as the winner of the election following a unanimous ruling of the

Minnesota Supreme Court The Minnesota Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The court hears cases in the Supreme Court chamber in the Minnesota State Capitol or in the nearby Minnesota Judicial Center. History The court was first asse ...

, having a final margin of 312 votes.

United States House of Representatives

All of Minnesota's eight seats in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

were up for election in 2008. Seven incumbents successfully sought re-election. One incumbent, Republican Representative

Jim Ramstad James Marvin Ramstad (May 6, 1946 – November 5, 2020) was an American lawyer and politician who represented Minnesota's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009. A member of the Republican Par ...

retired and was replaced by Republican state Representative Erik Paulsen, who defeated DFL challenger Ashwin Madia.

State

Minnesota's constitutional officers—governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and auditor—were not up for election in 2008.

Minnesota Senate

The

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are h ...

was not up for election in 2008.

Minnesota House of Representatives

All 134 seats in the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Minnesota Legislature, Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the Min ...

were up for election in 2008. The DFL expanded its lead in the chamber, gaining two seats to 87 members. Republicans lost one seat, dropping to 47 members. The body's lone independent, Mark Olson—who had been ejected from the Republican

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

after being convicted of

spousal abuse Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner v ...

—chose not to seek re-election.

References

External links

2008 Election Results
Minnesota Secretary of State {{United States elections, 2008