The 2008 Minnesota U.S. House of Representatives elections took place on November 4, 2008. All 8 congressional seats that make up the state's delegation were contested. Representatives were elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the

111th United States Congress The 111th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. It began during the last weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with t ...

from January 4, 2009, until January 3, 2011. The 2008 presidential election, 2008 Senate election (for the seat held by Republican

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 Senate, United States Senator for Minnesota. From 1994 to 2002, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Mi ...

), and 2008

Minnesota Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decenn ...

elections occurred on the same date, as well as many local elections and ballot initiatives. The 110th congressional delegation from the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

state of

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

had three

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and five Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party members (DFLers). Six were men; two were women. Three were freshmen in the 110th congress. The veterans ranged in experience from

Jim Oberstar James Louis Oberstar (September 10, 1934 – May 3, 2014) was an American politician and Congressman who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 2011. Hailing from Minnesota and a member of the state's local Minnes ...

with 33 years of experience and the chairman of the Transportation Committee, to John Kline with just four years of experience.

Overview

Statewide

By district

Results of the 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota by district:

District 1

This district extended across southern

from the border with

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

to the border of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. Incumbent Democrat

Tim Walz Timothy James Walz (; born April 6, 1964) is an American politician who has served since 2019 as the 41st governor of Minnesota. He was the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States, vice pre ...

, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for re-election. He was elected with 53% of the vote in 2006, defeating 6-term Republican

Gil Gutknecht Gilbert William Gutknecht Jr. (, born March 20, 1951) is an American former politician. Gutknecht was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives first elected in 1994 to represent Minnesota's 1st congressional district. ...

in somewhat of a surprise victory. The district had a PVI of R+1.

Democratic primary

Walz, a former teacher and Command Sergeant Major in the

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

had no opponent in the race for the DFL nomination for the seat in the September 12, 2008 primary election.

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Brian J. Davis, Mayo Clinic physician

=Eliminated in primary

= * Dick Day, state senator and former

state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

Majority Leader (1997–2007)

=Withdrawn

= * Randy Demmer,

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...

*Mark Meyer, actuary, lawyer and member of the Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial School Board

Results

Independence primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Gregory Mikkelson

Results

General election

Predictions

Results

Walz won a second term, garnering 62.5% of the vote.

District 2

This district spans the width of the entire southern

metro area Metro Area is a Brooklyn-based house and nu-disco duo formed in 1998 by Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani. History Geist grew up in Wayne, New Jersey, Spring Arts Clubs: Electro-Shock by Tricia Romano">village voice > nyclife > Spring Arts ...

and contains all of Carver,

Scott Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Sas ...

, Le Sueur, Goodhue and

Rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

Counties and most of Dakota County. Incumbent Republican John Kline, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 56.2% of the vote in 2006. The district had a PVI of R+3.

Republican primary

Republican John Kline held on to the second district seat in 2006, defeating DFL challenger, former

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

agent,

Coleen Rowley Coleen Rowley (born December 20, 1954) is an American former FBI special agent and whistleblower. Rowley is well known for testifying as to concerns regarding the FBI ignoring information of a suspected terrorist during 9/11, which led to a two- ...

. The district Republican lean, Kline's unwavering support for Bush and the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

did not make him appear too vulnerable to a challenger in 2008.

Candidates

=Nominee

= * John Kline, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary

On October 4, 2007,

veteran Steve Sarvi announced he would challenge Kline for the seat. His experience also included being mayor of

Watertown, Minnesota Watertown is a small city in Carver County, Minnesota, United States, along the South Fork of the Crow River, on the outskirts of the Twin Cities metro area. The population was 4,659 at the 2020 census. History Watertown was platted in 1858 a ...

and city administrator for

Victoria, Minnesota Victoria is a city in Carver County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 10,546 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water. State Highways ...

. He believed that a change in U.S. policy in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

was needed. On May 3, Sarvi was endorsed by the 2nd District DFL party. He was also endorsed by the

Independence Party of Minnesota The Independence—Alliance Party, a merger of the Alliance Party and the Independence Party, formerly the Reform Party of Minnesota (1996–2000), is a political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was the party of former Minnesota governo ...

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Steve Sarvi,

veteran and former Mayor of Watertown

General election

Predictions

Results

Kline won garnering 57.3% of the vote.

District 3

This district encompasses the suburbs of

Hennepin County Hennepin County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,281,565, and was estimated to be 1,273,334 in 2024, making it the List of counties in ...

to the north, west, and south of

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

. Incumbent Republican

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 Pa ...

, who had represented the district since 1991, announced on September 17, 2007, that he would not seek re-election in 2008. He was re-elected with 64.9% of the vote in 2006 and the district had a PVI of Even.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Erik Paulsen Erik Philip Paulsen (born May 14, 1965) is an American businessman and politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 2009 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Minnesota House of Representat ...

, state representative from district 42B since 1995, and former Minnesota House Majority Leader (2003–2007)

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Ashwin Madia, attorney and

veteran

=Withdrawn

= *

Terri Bonoff Terri E. Bonoff (born August 1, 1957) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Minnesota. She is a former member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 44, which included portions of Minnetonka, Plymouth and Woodland in Henne ...

*Jim Hovland, Mayor of

Edina EDINA is a centre for digital expertise, based at the University of Edinburgh as a division of the Information Services Group. Services EDINA front and back ends, front-end services (those accessed directly by the user) are available free at ...

(withdrew March 2008)

Endorsements

Results

Independence primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * David Dillon, businessman

=Eliminated in primary

= * Steev Ramsdell

Results

Constitution primary

Candidates

=Withdrawn

= *Harley Swarm

General election

Polling

Predictions

Results

Paulsen won the 2008 race, garnering 48.5% of the vote.

District 4

This district covers most of Ramsey County including all of

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

and several Saint Paul

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

s. Incumbent Democrat

Betty McCollum Betty Louise McCollum ( ; born July 12, 1954) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving since 2001. She is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). McCollum's district centers on St. Paul, Minnesot ...

, who had represented the district since 2001, ran for re-election. She was re-elected with 69.5% of the vote in 2006 and the district had a PVI of D+13.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Ed Matthews, attorney

General election

Predictions

Results

McCollum won the race, garnering 68.4% of the vote.

District 5

This district covers eastern

, including the entire city of

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, along with parts of Anoka and

Ramsey Ramsey may refer to: Companies *Ramsey (retailer), Turkish clothing retailer People * Ramsey (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Ramsey (surname), including a list of people with the surname * Baron de Ramsey, a title i ...

counties. Incumbent Democrat

Keith Ellison Keith Maurice Ellison (born August 4, 1963) is an American politician and lawyer serving since 2019 as the 30th attorney general of Minnesota. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Ellison was the U.S. representative for fr ...

, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for re-election. He was elected with 55.6% of the vote in 2006 and the district had a PVI of D+21. He was the first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

U.S. Representative from Minnesota as well as the first

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

member of the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Gregg A. Iverson

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Barb Davis White, minister, author, and civil rights activist

Results

Independence primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Bill McGaughey

Results

General election

Predictions

Results

District 6

This district includes most or all of Benton, Sherburne, Stearns,

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...

, Anoka, and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

counties. Incumbent Republican

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 P ...

, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for re-election. She was elected with 50.1% of the vote in 2006 and the district had a PVI of R+5.

Republican primary

Bachmann won a hard-fought battle against

Patty Wetterling Patricia Lynn Wetterling (born November 2, 1949) is an American advocate of children's safety and chair of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Her advocacy particularly focuses on protecting children from abduction and abuse ...

in 2006, with the help of

Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) is an American Republican political consultant, policy advisor, and lobbyist. He was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until his resignation on August ...

and

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American former politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He has been called vice presidency o ...

campaigning on her behalf and a multimillion-dollar warchest.

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Aubrey Immelman

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Elwyn Tinklenberg, former Minnesota Commissioner of Transportation (1999–2002), former Mayor of Blaine, former Methodist minister and candidate for this seat in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

=Withdrawn

= *Bob Olson, banker, tax lawyer and nominee for this seat in

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

Results

Independence primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Bob Anderson

Results

General election

Campaign

Bachmann's charges about "anti-American views" shifted the political dynamics of this campaign, giving a lift to Tinklenberg's candidacy and attracting $1.3 million in new contributions, plus $1 million from the

DNC DNC may refer to: Business *Delaware North, a global food service and hospitality company formerly known as Delaware North Companies * Den norske Creditbank, a now-defunct Norwegian commercial bank Politics *Democratic National Committee, the pri ...

. At the same time the

RNC RNC may refer to: Science and technology * Radio Network Controller, a governing element of a mobile phone network * Ribosome-nascent chain complex, in biology * Romanian National R&D Computer Network, registry for the .ro top-level domain * .rnc, ...

withdrew media buys on behalf of Bachmann.

Endorsements

Polling

Predictions

CQ Politics changed its forecast from 'Republican Favored' to 'Leans Republican' on October 20, and then to 'No Clear Favorite' on October 28. The Cook Political Report then rated it as 'Republican Toss Up'.

Results

Despite the controversy, Bachmann was re-elected, garnering 46.4% of the vote to Tinklenberg's 43.4% and Anderson's 10%.

District 7

This district covers almost all of the western side of

from the Canada–US border down to Lincoln County and is the largest district in the state. Incumbent Democrat

Collin Peterson Collin Clark Peterson (born June 29, 1944) is an American accountant, politician, and lobbyist who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 1991 to 2021. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer– ...

, who had represented the district since 1991, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 69.7% of the vote in 2006 and the district had a PVI of R+6.

Democratic primary

As chairman of the

House Agriculture Committee The United States House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agricul ...

, 9-term DFLer

is at home in this mostly-agricultural district. Although the district leans Republican, Peterson's social conservatism and farmer/labor DFL values served him well in his district.

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Glen Menze, accountant and nominee for this seat in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * Alan Roebke, farmer and

convicted felon A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "''félonie''") to describe an offense that r ...

Results

General election

Predictions

Results

District 8

This district covers the northeastern part of

and includes

Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

Hibbing Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range and still relies on that industry today. At the edge of ...

, and the

Mesabi Range The Mesabi Iron Range is a mining district and mountain range in northeastern Minnesota following an elongate trend containing large deposits of iron ore. It is the largest of four major iron ranges in the region collectively known as the Iro ...

. Incumbent Democrat

, who had represented the district since 1975, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 63.6% of the vote in 2006 and the district had a PVI of D+4.

Democratic primary

Seventeen-term veteran DFLer,

was Minnesota's senior representative. In 2006, former Republican

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

Rod Grams Rodney Dwight Grams (February 4, 1948 – October 8, 2013) was an American politician and television news anchor who served in both the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. A local news anchor, Grams became well known f ...

challenged Oberstar, garnering 34% of the vote. In 2008, 74-year-old Oberstar maintained his popularity among his constituency. The district leaned Democratic owing to the loyalty of miners, loggers, and farmers to the DFL. On May 3, 2008, the 8th District DFL endorsed Oberstar for another term.

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Michael Cummins, small business owner

General election

Predictions

Results

References

External links

Election Center
from the ''Minnesota Secretary of State''
Minnesota U.S. House Races
from ''2008 Race Tracker''
Campaign contributions for Minnesota congressional races
from

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying, including a revolving door database which documents the individuals who have worked in both the public sector an ...

{{2008 United States elections

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

Tim Walz