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U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D) defeated litigation attorney Doug Wardlow (R) and Grassroots Party candidate Noah Johnson in the race for Minnesota attorney general on November 6, 2018.
Heading into the election, Minnesota was one of 16 states under divided government. The state was a Democratic trifecta from 2013 to 2015, when Republicans gained a majority in the Minnesota House of Representatives. As of 2018, Minnesota was a Democratic triplex.
Incumbent Lori Swanson (D) was first elected in 2006, and was re-elected in 2010 and 2014 by margins of 11 and 13 percentage points, respectively. Swanson announced on June 4, 2018, that she would run for governor rather than seeking re-election in 2018. Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party had held the attorney general seat since 1971. Minnesota was won by the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1976.
Minnesota Attorney General election
| Poll | Keith Ellison (D) | Doug Wardlow (R) | Undecided/Other | Margin of Error | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Tribune/MPR News Minnesota October 15-17, 2018 | 36% | 43% | 21% | +/-3.5 | 800 |
| KSTP/SurveyUSA Poll September 6-8, 2018 | 41% | 41% | 18% | +/-4.9 | 574 |
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Minnesota from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Minnesota Secretary of State.
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Minnesota every year from 2000 to 2016.
Election results (President of the United States), Minnesota 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Hillary Clinton |
46.4% |  Donald Trump |
44.9% | 1.5% |
| 2012 | Barack Obama |
52.7% | Mitt Romney |
45.0% | 7.7% |
| 2008 | Barack Obama |
54.1% | John McCain |
43.8% | 10.3% |
| 2004 | John Kerry |
51.1% | George W. Bush |
47.6% | 3.5% |
| 2000 | Al Gore |
47.9% | George W. Bush |
45.5% | 2.4% |
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Minnesota from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
Election results (U.S. Senator), Minnesota 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Al Franken |
53.2% | Mike McFadden |
42.9% | 10.3% |
| 2012 | Amy Klobuchar |
65.2% | Kurt Bills |
30.5% | 34.7% |
| 2008 | Al Franken |
41.99% | Norm Coleman |
41.98% | 0.01% |
| 2006 | Amy Klobuchar |
58.1% | Mark Kennedy |
37.9% | 20.2% |
| 2002 | Norm Coleman |
49.5% | Walter Mondale |
47.3% | 2.2% |
| 2000 | Mark Dayton |
48.8% | Rod Grams |
43.3% | 5.5% |
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Minnesota.
Election results (Governor), Minnesota 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Mark Dayton |
50.1% | Jeff Johnson |
44.5% | 5.6% |
| 2010 | Mark Dayton |
43.6% | Tom Emmer |
43.2% | 0.4% |
| 2006 | Tim Pawlenty |
46.7% | Mike Hatch |
45.7% | 1.0% |
| 2002 | Tim Pawlenty |
44.4% | Roger Moe |
36.5% | 7.9% |
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Minnesota in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
Congressional delegation, Minnesota 2000-2016
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
37.5% | 5 |
62.5% | D+2 |
| 2014 | 3 |
37.5% | 5 |
62.5% | D+2 |
| 2012 | 3 |
37.5% | 5 |
62.5% | D+2 |
| 2010 | 4 |
50.0% | 4 |
50.0% | Even |
| 2008 | 3 |
37.5% | 5 |
62.5% | D+2 |
| 2006 | 3 |
37.5% | 5 |
62.5% | D+2 |
| 2004 | 4 |
50.0% | 4 |
50.0% | Even |
| 2002 | 4 |
50.0% | 4 |
50.0% | Even |
| 2000 | 3 |
37.5% | 5 |
62.5% | D+2 |
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
Minnesota Party Control: 1992-2019
Two years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | I | I | I | I | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | D |
Demographic data for Minnesota
| Minnesota | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 5,482,435 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 79,627 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 50.3% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 84.8% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 5.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 4.4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.7% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 5% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 92.4% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 33.7% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $61,492 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 12.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Minnesota. | ||
As of July 2016, Minnesota's three largest cities were Minneapolis (pop. est. 422,000), St. Paul (pop. est. 307,000), and Rochester (pop. est. 116,000).
