2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota

← 2008 November 2, 2010 (2010-11-02) 2012 →
All 8 Minnesota seats to theUnited States House of Representatives
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Last election 5 seats, 57.53% 3 seats, 38.14% Seats before 5 3 Seats won 4 4 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 1,002,026 970,741 Percentage 47.93% 46.43% Swing 9.60% 8.29%
Democratic   Hold Republican   Hold   Gain Party gains Democratic   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% Republican   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% District results Democratic   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% Republican   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% County results

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v t e

The2010 Minnesota U.S. House of Representatives elections took place on November 2, 2010. All eight congressional seats in the state's delegation were contested. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the112th United States Congress from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013.

The2010 Minnesota gubernatorial,2010 Minnesota House elections and2010 Minnesota Senate elections occurred on the same date, as well as many local elections and ballot initiatives.

The111th congressional delegation from theU.S. state ofMinnesota had fiveDemocratic Farmer Labor Party members (DFLers) and 3Republicans. All the incumbents were reelected except District 8'sJim Oberstar, who was defeated in his bid for a 19th term. This left Minnesota with an equal number of Democratic and Republican representatives.

The table below shows the total number and percentage of votes, as well as the number of seats gained and lost by each political party in the election for the United States House of Representatives in Minnesota.

Party		Candidates	Votes		Seats
			No.	%	No.	+/–	%
	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	8	1,002,026	47.93	4	1	50.00
	Republican	8	970,741	46.43	4	1	50.00
	Independence	7	84,816	4.05	0		0.0
	Independent	5	23,387	1.12	0		0.0
	Constitution	1	2,492	0.11	0		0.0
	Write-in	8	1,639	0.08	0		0.0
Total		37	2,090,591	100.0	8		100.0

Results of the 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota by district:^[1]

2010 Minnesota's 1st congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee Tim Walz Randy Demmer Steve Wilson Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Independence Popular vote 122,365 109,242 13,242 Percentage 49.3% 44.1% 5.3%

Precinct results Walz:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Demmer:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Tie:     40–50%     50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Tim Walz Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Tim Walz Democratic (DFL)

Incumbent DemocratTim Walz, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for reelection.^[2] He was reelected with 62.5% of the vote in 2008. The district had aPVI of R+1.

No primary elections were held in the 1st congressional district in 2010.^[3]

• Tim Walz, incumbent U.S. Representative^[4]

• Randy Demmer,state representative and candidate for this seat in2008^[5][6]

• Jim Engstrand,Minnesota Army National GuardLieutenant Colonel and Iraq veteran^[7]
• Jim Hagedorn, former congressional affairs officer for theBureau of Engraving and Printing and son of former U.S. RepresentativeTom Hagedorn^[8][9]
• Frank McKinzie, veteran
• Allen Quist, formerstate representative and candidate for governor in1994 &1998^[10]

Shortly after launching his campaign, Quist attracted controversy for a speech he gave at theWabasha County Republicans' December 7 Christmas Party, in which he said: "Our country is being destroyed. Every generation has had to fight the fight for freedom… Terrorism? Yes. That's not the big battle. The big battle is in D.C. with the radicals. They aren't liberals. They are radicals. Obama, Pelosi, Walz: they’re not liberals, they're radicals. They are destroying our country."^[11] He also spoke against theAffordable Health Care for America Act, saying: "This is the most insidious, evil piece of legislation I have ever seen in my life… Every one of us has to be totally committed to killing this travesty… I have to kill this bill."^[11]

• Steve Wilson, state department diplomat and former Republican candidate forstate senator in2006^[12]

• Lars Johnson, food safety certification trainer

Walz won the general election on November 2 with 49% of the vote to Demmer's 44%.^[22]

External links

• Race ranking and details fromCQ Politics
• Campaign contributions fromOpenSecrets
• Race Profile atThe New York Times

2010 Minnesota's 2nd congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee John Kline Shelley Madore Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 181,341 104,809 Percentage 63.3% 36.6%

Precinct results Kline:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Madore:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election John Kline Republican Elected U.S. Representative John Kline Republican

Incumbent RepublicanJohn Kline, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for reelection. He was reelected with 57.3% of the vote in 2008. The district had aPVI of R+4.

• John Kline, incumbent U.S. Representative

• Shelley Madore, formerstate representative

• Dan Powers, construction contractor and candidate for this seat in2008^[24]

Despite losing the DFL endorsement to Powers, Madore remained in the race, much to the anger of a number of party loyalists.^[25] She was boosted by questions about Powers's résumé.^[26]

Kline won the general election on November 2, 63% to 37%.

External links

• Race ranking and details fromCQ Politics
• Campaign contributions fromOpenSecrets
• Race Profile atThe New York Times

2010 Minnesota's 3rd congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee Erik Paulsen Jim Meffert Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 161,177 100,240 Percentage 58.8% 36.6%

Precinct results Paulsen:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Meffert:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%

U.S. Representative before election Erik Paulsen Republican Elected U.S. Representative Erik Paulsen Republican

Incumbent RepublicanErik Paulsen, who had represented the district since 2009, ran for reelection. He was elected with 48.5% of the vote in 2008. The district had aPVI of Even.

No primary elections were held in the 3rd congressional district in 2010.^[3]

• Erik Paulsen, incumbent U.S. Representative

• Jim Meffert, former President of the Minnesota Parent-Teacher Association^[27]

• Maureen Hackett, Air Force veteran and forensic psychiatrist^[28]

• Terri Bonoff,state senator and candidate for this seat in2008^[29][30]

Meffert lacked the funds to afford television advertising, but he gained some name recognition from the Paulsen campaign's attack ads.^[31][32][33] Political analyst David Schultz said, "Given how little money that Meffert has, you would've thought Paulsen would've just ignored Meffert completely and just run a positive campaign." Meffert responded to the attack: "It's the kind of thing that makes people cynical about politics and politicians when you hide behind a big bank account and you throw up an ad that's designed to tear down your opponent."^[34] After the Paulsen campaign included amisleading graph in a mailing, Meffert filed an ethics complaint against Paulsen.^[35][36]

Paulsen won the general election on November 2, 59% to 37%.

External links

• Race ranking and details fromCQ Politics
• Campaign contributions fromOpenSecrets
• Race Profile atThe New York Times

2010 Minnesota's 4th congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee Betty McCollum Teresa Collett Steve Carlson Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Independence Popular vote 136,746 80,141 14,207 Percentage 59.1% 34.6% 6.1%

Precinct results McCollum:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% Collett:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%

U.S. Representative before election Betty McCollum Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Betty McCollum Democratic (DFL)

IncumbentBetty McCollum, who had represented the district since 2001, ran for reelection. She was reelected with 68.4% of the vote in 2008. The district had aPVI of D+13.

• Betty McCollum, incumbent U.S. Representative

• Diana Longrie, attorney and formerMayor ofMaplewood

• Teresa Collett, law professor at theUniversity of St. Thomas

• Jack Shepard, fugitive, alleged arsonist, and formerMinneapolis dentist who fled the country after allegedly attempting to burn down his dental office^[37]

• Steve Carlson, consultant and writer

McCollum won the general election on November 2, 59% to 35%.

External links

• Race ranking and details fromCQ Politics
• Campaign contributions fromOpenSecrets
• Race Profile atThe New York Times

2010 Minnesota's 5th congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee Keith Ellison Joel Demos Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 154,833 55,222 Percentage 67.7% 24.1%

Precinct results Ellison:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Demos:     50–60% Tie:     40–50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Keith Ellison Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Keith Ellison Democratic (DFL)

IncumbentKeith Ellison, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for reelection. Ellison is the first Muslim to be elected to Congress. He was reelected with 67.7% of the vote in 2008. The district had aPVI of D+23.

• Keith Ellison, incumbent U.S. Representative

• Gregg A. Iverson
• Barb Davis White, minister, author, and civil rights activist

• Joel Demos, banker

• Tom Schrunk

Ellison won the general election on November 2, 68% to 24%.

External links

• Race ranking and details fromCQ Politics
• Campaign contributions fromOpenSecrets
• Race Profile atThe New York Times

2010 Minnesota's 6th congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee Michele Bachmann Tarryl Clark Bob Anderson Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Independence Popular vote 159,476 120,846 17,698 Percentage 52.5% 39.8% 5.8%

Precinct results Bachmann:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     >90% Clark:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70% Tie:     40–50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Michele Bachmann Republican Elected U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann Republican

Incumbent RepublicanMichele Bachmann, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for reelection.^[38][39] She was reelected with 46.4% of the vote in 2008. The district had aPVI of R+7.

• Michele Bachmann, incumbent U.S. Representative

The DFL endorsedTarryl Clark, the state senate assistant majority leader. She was Bachmann's sole Democratic challenger,Maureen Reed having dropped out of the race in June. A physician and formerUniversity of Minnesota regent chair, Reed threw her support behind Clark, saying she felt "it is time for the DFL to unify behind one candidate in this race".^[40][41][42]

• Tarryl Clark,state senator and assistant majority leader of theMinnesota State Senate

• Maureen Kennedy Reed, physician and chair of the Board of Regents of theUniversity of Minnesota

• Elwyn Tinklenberg, former Minnesota Commissioner of Transportation and nominee for this seat in2008^[43]

• Bob Anderson, dental technician

Bachmann won the general election on November 2, 52% to 38%.^[47][48]

External links

• Race ranking and details fromCQ Politics
• Campaign contributions fromOpenSecrets
• Race Profile atThe New York Times

2010 Minnesota's 7th congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee Collin Peterson Lee Byberg Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 133,096 90,652 Percentage 55.2% 37.6%

Precinct results Peterson:     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Byberg:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Tie:     40–50%     50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Collin Peterson Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Collin Peterson Democratic (DFL)

IncumbentCollin Peterson, who had represented the district since 1991, ran for reelection. He was reelected with 72.2% of the vote in 2008. The district had aPVI of R+5.

• Collin Peterson, incumbent U.S. Representative

• Lee Byberg, business executive

• Alan Roebke, farmer and candidate for this seat in2008^[49][50]

• Glen Menze, accountant and nominee for this seat in2008^[51]

• Glen R. Menze, accountant and Republican nominee for this seat in2008

Peterson won the general election on November 2, 55% to 38%.

External links

• Race ranking and details fromCQ Politics
• Campaign contributions fromOpenSecrets
• Race Profile atThe New York Times

2010 Minnesota's 8th congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee Chip Cravaack Jim Oberstar Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 133,490 129,091 Percentage 48.2% 46.6%

Precinct results Cravaack:     30–40%     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Oberstar:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Tie:     40–50%     50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Jim Oberstar Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Chip Cravaack Republican

IncumbentJim Oberstar, who had represented the district since 1975, ran for reelection. He was reelected with 67.7% of the vote in 2008. The district had aPVI of D+3.

• James L. Oberstar, incumbent U.S. Representative

• W. D. (Bill) Ham, chair of theFreedom Coalition of Minnesota^[52]

• Chip Cravaack, formerNorthwest Airlines pilot^[53]

• Michael Cummins, small business owner and nominee for this seat in2008 (withdrew February 2010 endured Cravaack^[54][55]
• Justin Eichorn, small business owner
• Rob Fransworth, special education teacher
• Darrel Trulson, business owner

• Timothy Olson, sawmill operator^[52]

Cravaack entered the race as the underdog. He was a political novice and Democrats had held the 8th district since 1947. Oberstar was the longest-serving congressman in Minnesota history and had never received less than 59% of the vote.^[56]

Cravaack campaigned on a standard Republican platform offree-market principles and government spending cuts^[57] while attacking Oberstar's vote for theACA.^[56][58]

Cravaack defeated Oberstar, 48% to 47%.^[62]

External links

• Race ranking and details fromCQ Politics
• Campaign contributions fromOpenSecrets
• Race Profile atThe New York Times

• Elections & Voting from theMinnesota Secretary of State
  • Official candidate list
  • 2010 General election results
  • 2010 Primary elections results
  • 2010 Candidate filings
• U.S. Congress candidates for Minnesota atProject Vote Smart
• Minnesota U.S. House from OurCampaigns.com
• Campaign contributions for Minnesota congressional races fromOpenSecrets
• 2010 Minnesota General Election graph of multiple polls fromPollster.com
• Campaign 2010 atMinnesota Public Radio News

• United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota
• 2010 United States House of Representatives elections
• 2010 Minnesota elections
• Tim Walz

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