The 2018 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 6, to elect the 41st

Governor of Minnesota The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. ...

as incumbent Democratic governor Mark Dayton chose not to run for re-election for a third term. The Democratic nominee was congressman

Tim Walz Timothy James Walz ( ; born April 6, 1964) is an American politician and retired educator. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he has served as the 41st governor of Minnesota since 2019. Born in West Point, Nebraska, Wal ...

from

Minnesota's 1st congressional district Minnesota's 1st congressional district extends across southern Minnesota from the border with South Dakota to the border with Wisconsin. It is a primarily rural district built on a strong history of agriculture, though this is changing rapidly d ...

while the Republicans nominated Hennepin County commissioner Jeff Johnson. The

Independence Party of Minnesota The Independence Party of Minnesota (often abbreviated IPM, MNIP or IP), formerly the Reform Party of Minnesota, is a political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was the party of former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura (1999–2003). O ...

didn't field a candidate for the first time since

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson Ma ...

. Going into the election the polls showed Walz ahead and the race was characterized as lean or likely DFL. In the end, Walz went on to defeat Johnson by the largest margin for a DFL candidate since 1986. Walz had also received more votes than any gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota's history. This is the first Minnesota gubernatorial election since 1959 where any party won more than two consecutive elections. This was also the first time since

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

where the party of the incumbent president lost.

Democratic–Farmer–Labor primary

Candidates

Nominated

, U.S. Representative ** Running mate: Peggy Flanagan, State Representative

Eliminated in primary

* Tim Holden, real estate investor and candidate for Mayor of Saint Paul in 2017 ** Running mate: James P. Mellin II * Erin Murphy, State Representative ** Running mate:

Erin Maye Quade Erin Maye Quade (born March 12, 1986) is an American politician from the state of Minnesota. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Party, she served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2017 to 2019. She was the DFL-endorse ...

, State Representative * Olé Savior,

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates' existence lies in the fact that in some countries, there are no laws that limit a number of times a person can ...

** Running mate: Chris Edman * Lori Swanson, Attorney General of Minnesota ** Running mate: Rick Nolan, U.S. Representative

Withdrawn

Paul Thissen Paul Thissen (born December 10, 1966) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. He previously served as the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives and DFL Minority L ...

, State Representative, former

House Minority Leader Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are el ...

, and former

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...

* Chris Coleman, former

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

* Tina Liebling, State Representative * Rebecca Otto,

Minnesota State Auditor The state auditor of Minnesota is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Nineteen individuals have held the office of state auditor since statehood. The incumbent is Julie Blaha, a DFLer. Election and t ...

**Running mate: Zarina Baber, IT professional

Declined

* Tom Bakk, Minority Leader of 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 ...

and candidate for governor in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

* Mark Dayton, incumbent governor *

Debra Hilstrom Debra J. Hilstrom (born June 21, 1968) is an American politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represented District 40B, which included portions ...

, state representative and candidate for Secretary of State in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

(running for Minnesota Attorney General) * Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator (running for re-election) * Rick Nolan, U.S. Representative (running for Lieutenant Governor) *

R. T. Rybak Raymond Thomas Rybak Jr. (born November 12, 1955) is an American politician, journalist, businessman, and activist who served as the List of mayors of Minneapolis, 46th mayor of Minneapolis from 2002 to 2014. In the 2001 election Rybak defeated i ...

, former vice chair of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well ...

, former

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...

and candidate for governor in

Tina Smith Christine Elizabeth Smith (née Flint, born March 4, 1958) is an American politician, retired Democratic political consultant, and former businesswoman serving as the junior United States senator from Minnesota since 2018. She is a member of the ...

, U.S. Senator ( running for election)

Endorsements

Polling

Straw poll

On February 6, 2018 the DFL conducted a statewide straw poll among registered Democrats in Minnesota. Caucus-goers were scheduled to elect delegates to their party's Senate district and county conventions, which in turn will elect state convention delegates who will endorse candidates for governor, two U.S. Senate seats, attorney general, state auditor and secretary of state. Congressional district delegates will endorse U.S. House candidates. Since the straw poll the three lowest performing candidates withdrew from the race (Paul Thissen, Chris Coleman, and Tina Liebling).

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominated

* Jeff Johnson, Hennepin County Commissioner, former state representative, and nominee for governor in

** Running mate: Donna Bergstrom, retired Marine Corps intelligence officer

Eliminated in primary

* Mathew Kruse ** Running mate: Theresa Loeffler *

Tim Pawlenty Timothy James Pawlenty (; born November 27, 1960) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 39th governor of Minnesota from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Pawlenty served in the Minnesota House o ...

, former governor and candidate for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

** Running mate: Michelle Fischbach, incumbent lieutenant governor

Withdrew

* Phillip Parrish, Naval Reserve intelligence officer and candidate for the U.S. Senate in

Mary Giuliani Stephens Mary Giuliani Stephens (born June 23, 1955) is an American attorney at law, attorney and the former mayor of Woodbury, Minnesota. She previously served on the Woodbury City Council. Early life, education, and career Giuliani Stephens grew up in ...

, mayor of Woodbury ** Running mate: Jeff Backer, state representative * Christopher Chamberlin ( running for MN-05) * Matt Dean, state representative * Keith Downey, former chairman of the

Republican Party of Minnesota The Republican Party of Minnesota is the oldest active political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Minnesota Republican Party’s platform is relatively moderate. The party’s main issues are economic growth, education, healthcare, civ ...

and former state representative * Blake Huffman, Ramsey County Commissioner * David Osmek, state senator

Declined

* Sarah Anderson, state representative *

Michele Bachmann Michele Marie Bachmann (; née Amble; born April 6, 1956) is an American politician who was the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2007 until 2015. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

, former U.S. Representative and candidate for president in

Michelle Benson Michelle R. Benson (born September 11, 1968) is an American accountant, politician, and Republican member of the Minnesota Senate. She represents District 31, which includes portions of Anoka, Isanti and Sherburne counties in the northern T ...

, state senator and candidate for lieutenant governor in

* Kurt Daudt, Speaker of 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 ...

(Endorsed Pawlenty) * Tom Emmer, U.S. Representative (running for re-election) and nominee for

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Karin Housley Karin Housley ( ; née Locke; born January 20, 1964) is an American politician, businesswoman, and member of the Minnesota Senate. A Republican, she represents Forest Lake, Stillwater, and the surrounding St. Croix Valley. Housley was the Repu ...

, state senator ( running for the U.S. Senate) * Amy Koch, former

Majority Leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.

of the

* Mike Lindell, CEO of

My Pillow My Pillow, Inc. (stylized as MyPillow) is an American pillow-manufacturing company based in Chaska, Minnesota.Michael J Lindell"MyPillow HQ moves to Chaska,"Chaska Herald', June 16, 2015. The company was founded in 2009 by Mike Lindell, who ...

* Mike McFadden, businessman and nominee for the U.S. Senate in

* Carla Nelson, state senator * Erik Paulsen, U.S. Representative (running for re-election) * Julie Rosen, state senator (endorsed Pawlenty) *

Rich Stanek Richard W. "Rich" Stanek (born February 2, 1962) is an American politician and former law enforcement officer who served as the sheriff of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office from 2007 to 2019. Prior to serving as sheriff, Stanek served from 19 ...

, Hennepin County

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

and former state representative (running for reelection as sheriff)

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Third parties and independents

Candidates

Declared

*Josh Welter ( Libertarian Party) * Chris Wright ( Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party), Grassroots Party nominee for governor in

and

General election

Predictions

Debates

The debate season began only three days after the primaries with Johnson and Walz participating in two debates on Friday, August 17. A third debate was held Friday, August 31.

Endorsements

Polling

;with Erin Murphy and Tim Pawlenty ;with Lori Swanson and Tim Pawlenty ;with Tim Walz and Tim Pawlenty ;with Lori Swanson and Jeff Johnson

Results

300px, Results by precinct:

Voter demographics

References

External links

Elections & Voting - Minnesota Secretary of StateCandidates
at

Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in si ...

Candidates
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

;Official campaign websites
Jeff Johnson (R) for GovernorTim Walz (DFL) for GovernorJosh Welter (L) for GovernorChris Wright (G-LC) for Governor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minnesota gubernatorial election, 2018 Gubernatorial 2018 2018 United States gubernatorial elections

Democratic–Farmer–Labor primary

Candidates

Nominated

Eliminated in primary

Withdrawn

Declined

Endorsements

Polling

Straw poll

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominated

Eliminated in primary

Withdrew

Declined

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Third parties and independents

Candidates

Declared

General election

Predictions

Debates

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Voter demographics

See also

References

External links