# 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election

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vte :
The 1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1998. Reform Party candidate Jesse Ventura, the former mayor of Brooklyn Park and a former professional wrestler, won office, defeating Republican St. Paul mayor Norm Coleman and DFL state attorney general Skip Humphrey. He succeeded Republican incumbent Arne Carlson. Ventura's victory as a third-party candidate was considered a historic major upset.
As of 2025, the election marks the only time a Reform Party candidate won a major government office. It also remains the last time a third-party candidate won any statewide election in Minnesota. Ventura's vote share of 36.99% is the lowest for a Minnesota gubernatorial election winner since 1890.

## DFL primary
### Candidates

* Skip Humphrey, Attorney General of Minnesota and son of former Vice President of the United States Hubert Humphrey and former U.S. Senator Muriel Humphrey
** Running mate: Roger Moe, Minnesota Senate Majority Leader (SD2)
* Ted Mondale, former State Senator (SD44) and son of former Vice President Walter Mondale
** Running mate: Deanna Winter, political reporter
* Mike Freeman, Hennepin County Attorney and son of former Governor Orville Freeman
** Running mate: Ruth Johnson, State Representative (HD24B)
* Doug Johnson, State Senator (SD6) from the Iron Range and Chair of the Senate Committee on Taxation
** Running mate: Tom Foley, former Ramsey County Attorney and Washington County Attorney.
* Mark Dayton, Minnesota Auditor and heir to the Dayton's fortune
** Running mate: Julie Jansen, Olivia day care provider and environmental activist
* Ole Savior, perennial candidate
** Running mate: Ron Moseng

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Mark Dayton | Mike Freeman | Skip Humphrey | Doug Johnson | John Marty | Ted Mondale | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | August 28–30, 1998 | 317 (LV) | ± 5.6% | 23% | 10% | 38% | 4% | – | 10% | 15% |
| Mason-Dixon | May 30 – June 1, 1998 | 326 (LV) | ± 5.5% | 10% | 13% | 32% | 4% | 3% | 12% | 26% |
| Mason-Dixon | February 20–22, 1998 | 319 (LV) | ± 5.6% | 7% | 9% | 35% | 6% | 5% | 11% | 26% |

### Results

Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic (DFL) | Skip Humphrey | 182,562 | 36.95% |
| | Democratic (DFL) | Mike Freeman | 93,714 | 18.97% |
| | Democratic (DFL) | Doug Johnson | 91,888 | 18.60% |
| | Democratic (DFL) | Mark Dayton | 88,070 | 17.83% |
| | Democratic (DFL) | Ted Mondale | 36,237 | 7.33% |
| | Democratic (DFL) | Ole Savior | 1,598 | 0.32% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 494,069 | 100.0% |

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Norm Coleman, mayor of St. Paul
** Running mate: Gen Olson, State Senator (Rep-SD34)
* Bill Dahn, retired auto mechanic
Norm Coleman was elected mayor of St. Paul in 1993 as a Democrat with almost 55% of the vote. In 1996, he switched parties to become a Republican after years of heat from his party. He won re-election as mayor in the heavily Democratic city with almost 59% of the vote in 1997.

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Joanne Benson | Dick Borrell | Norm Coleman | Bill Dahn | Allen Quist | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | August 28–30, 1998 | 317 (LV) | ± 5.8% | – | – | 75% | 11% | – | 14% |
| Mason-Dixon | May 30 – June 1, 1998 | 309 (LV) | ± 5.7% | 20% | 2% | 39% | – | 13% | 26% |
| Mason-Dixon | February 20–22, 1998 | 319 (LV) | ± 5.6% | 14% | – | 37% | – | 11% | 34% |

### Results

Coleman won the Republican nomination by winning the primary with token opposition.
Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Norm Coleman | 127,957 | 91.32% |
| | Republican | Bill Dahn | 12,167 | 8.68% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 140,124 | 100.00% |

## General election
### Candidates

* Norm Coleman, mayor of St. Paul (Republican)
** Running mate: Gen Olson, State Senator (Rep-SD34)
* Thomas Fiske (Socialist Workers)
* Frank Germann (Libertarian)
* Skip Humphrey, Attorney General of Minnesota and son of former Vice President of the United States Hubert Humphrey and former U.S. Senator Muriel Humphrey (DFL)
** Running mate: Roger Moe, Minnesota Senate Majority Leader (SD2)
* "Fancy" Ray McCloney ("People's Champion")
* Ken Pentel (Green)
* Jesse Ventura, former mayor of Brooklyn Park and professional wrestler (Reform)
** Running mate: Mae Schunk, Inver Grove Heights teacher
* Chris Wright (Grassroots)
Ventura ran unopposed in his party's primary.

### Campaign

Humphrey was seen as the initial favorite, having scored a $6 billion settlement with the tobacco industry in May of that year. The DFL primary saw candidates mostly focusing on issues, rather than attacking Humphrey. Humphrey had lost the party's endorsement to Mike Freeman. The primary was nicknamed the "My Three Sons" campaign, owing to the political pedigree of three of the candidates, and Mark Dayton, heir to the Dayton fortune. Humphrey was endorsed by the Star Tribune in the run up to November.
Coleman started as a strong challenger to Humphrey. Coleman received the Republican endorsement over more conservative candidates Allen Quist and Joanne Benson. Coleman ran as a social conservative, opposing abortion and gay marriage. He also campaigned on using the state's budget surplus to cut taxes, as well as expanding the state's school choice program to include school vouchers.
Ventura spent around $300,000 and combined it with an aggressive grassroots campaign that featured a statewide bus tour, pioneered use of the Internet for political purposes, and aired quirky TV ads designed by Bill Hillsman, who forged the phrase "Don't vote for politics as usual." Unable to afford many television ads, Ventura mainly focused on televised debates and public appearances, preaching his brand of libertarian politics. His speech at a parade in rural Minnesota during the summer attracted what organizers of the annual event described as one of its largest audiences. He ran on cutting taxes, reducing state government, and reducing public school classroom sizes to a 17 to 1 ratio. He also supported a public debate on the viability of legalized prostitution.

### Polling

A poll taken in June showed that Coleman would defeat any other Democratic candidate than Humphrey; Humphrey would defeat Coleman 44% to 34%. However, Ventura polled in the double digits. No other candidate in the Reform Party's brief history in Minnesota has received more than 5 percent of the votes in a statewide election. Following the primary election in September, a poll on October 20 showed Humphrey leading 35% to Coleman (34%) and Ventura (21%). But the Star Tribune poll suggested that Ventura's surge with the voters had come mostly at Humphrey's expense. Since the primary, Humphrey's support among likely voters had dropped by 14 percentage points, while Coleman's had increased by 5 percentage points.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jesse Ventura (Rf) | Norm Coleman (R) | Skip Humphrey (D) | Undecided |
| Market Solutions Group | October 27–30, 1998 | 1,007 (A) | ± 3.0% | 27% | 30% | 35% | 8% |
| Mason-Dixon | October 23–25, 1998 | 816 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 23% | 33% | 34% | 10% |
| Market Solutions Group | October 15–18, 1998 | 806 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 21% | 34% | 35% | 10% |
| Mason-Dixon | October 10–13, 1998 | 825 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 15% | 31% | 44% | 10% |
| Mason-Dixon | August 28–30, 1998 | 812 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 13% | 29% | 43% | 15% |
| Mason-Dixon | May 30 – June 1, 1998 | 806 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 7% | 30% | 46% | 17% |

#### Coleman vs. Humphrey

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Norm Coleman (R) | Skip Humphrey (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | October 23–25, 1998 | 816 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 42% | 41% | 17% |
| Mason-Dixon | October 10–13, 1998 | 825 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 31% | 44% | 25% |
| Minnesota Star Tribune | September 16–20, 1998 | 1,009 (A) | ± 4.3% | 29% | 49% | 22% |
| Mason-Dixon | August 28–30, 1998 | 812 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 29% | 43% | 28% |
| Minnesota Star Tribune | July 23–28, 1998 | 1,007 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 35% | 39% | 26% |
| Mason-Dixon | May 30 – June 1, 1998 | 806 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 30% | 46% | 24% |
| Mason-Dixon | February 20–22, 1998 | 827 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 33% | 39% | 28% |

#### Ventura vs. Coleman vs. Dayton

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jesse Ventura (Rf) | Norm Coleman (R) | Mark Dayton (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | August 28–30, 1998 | 812 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 12% | 34% | 35% | 19% |

#### Ventura vs. Coleman vs. Freeman

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jesse Ventura (Rf) | Norm Coleman (R) | Mike Freeman (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | August 28–30, 1998 | 812 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 12% | 36% | 32% | 20% |
| Mason-Dixon | May 30 – June 1, 1998 | 806 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 13% | 30% | 39% | 18% |

#### Ventura vs. Coleman vs. Johnson

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jesse Ventura (Rf) | Norm Coleman (R) | Doug Johnson (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | August 28–30, 1998 | 812 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 8% | 40% | 25% | 27% |

#### Ventura vs. Coleman vs. Mondale

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jesse Ventura (Rf) | Norm Coleman (R) | Ted Mondale (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | August 28–30, 1998 | 812 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 11% | 32% | 35% | 21% |
| Mason-Dixon | May 30 – June 1, 1998 | 806 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 11% | 36% | 37% | 16% |

#### Ventura vs. Benson vs. Freeman

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jesse Ventura (Rf) | Joanne Benson (R) | Mike Freeman (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | May 30 – June 1, 1998 | 806 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 13% | 28% | 35% | 24% |

#### Ventura vs. Benson vs. Humphrey

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jesse Ventura (Rf) | Joanne Benson (R) | Skip Humphrey (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | May 30 – June 1, 1998 | 806 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 10% | 20% | 55% | 15% |

#### Ventura vs. Benson vs. Mondale

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jesse Ventura (Rf) | Joanne Benson (R) | Ted Mondale (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | May 30 – June 1, 1998 | 806 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 11% | 24% | 45% | 20% |

#### Ventura vs. Quist vs. Freeman

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jesse Ventura (Rf) | Allen Quist (R) | Mike Freeman (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | May 30 – June 1, 1998 | 806 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 14% | 19% | 36% | 31% |

#### Ventura vs. Quist vs. Humphrey

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jesse Ventura (Rf) | Allen Quist (R) | Skip Humphrey (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | May 30 – June 1, 1998 | 806 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 12% | 17% | 56% | 15% |

#### Ventura vs. Quist vs. Mondale

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Jesse Ventura (Rf) | Allen Quist (R) | Ted Mondale (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | May 30 – June 1, 1998 | 806 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 12% | 18% | 51% | 19% |

#### Coleman vs. Freeman

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Norm Coleman (R) | Mike Freeman (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | February 20–22, 1998 | 827 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 36% | 29% | 35% |

#### Coleman vs. Mondale

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Norm Coleman (R) | Ted Mondale (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | February 20–22, 1998 | 827 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 34% | 33% | 33% |

#### Benson vs. Freeman

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Joanne Benson (R) | Mike Freeman (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | February 20–22, 1998 | 827 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 27% | 30% | 43% |

#### Benson vs. Humphrey

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Joanne Benson (R) | Skip Humphrey (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | February 20–22, 1998 | 827 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 25% | 49% | 26% |

#### Benson vs. Mondale

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Joanne Benson (R) | Ted Mondale (D) | Undecided |
| Mason-Dixon | February 20–22, 1998 | 827 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 26% | 37% | 37% |

### Debate

1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election debates :
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Reform | Republican | Democratic |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | | | |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Jesse Ventura | Norm Coleman | Skip Humphrey |
| 1 | Oct. 1, 1998 | League of Women Voters | Judy Duffy | C-SPAN | P | P | P |
| 2 | Oct. 16, 1998 | League of Women Voters | Catherine Severin | C-SPAN | P | P | P |
| 3 | Oct. 24, 1998 | KARE (TV), KMSP-TV, KSTP-TV & KTCA | Ken Stone | Twin Cities PBS | P | P | P |
| 4 | Oct. 30, 1998 | Insight News, KMOJ, KTCA-TV, MPR & Star Tribune | Karen Louise Boothe Lori Sturdevant | C-SPAN | P | P | P |

### Results

* Democratic — +>30%
* Democratic — +25-30%
* Democratic — +20-25%
* Democratic — +15-20%
* Democratic — +10-15%
* Democratic — +5-10%
* Democratic — +0-5%
* Republican — +0-5%
* Republican — +5-10%
* Republican — +10-15%
* Republican — +15-20%
* Republican — +20-25%
* Republican — +25-30%
* Republican — +>30%
* Democratic — +>30%
* Democratic — +25-30%
* Democratic — +20-25%
* Democratic — +15-20%
* Democratic — +10-15%
* Democratic — +5-10%
* Democratic — +0-5%
* Republican — +0-5%
* Republican — +5-10%
* Republican — +10-15%
* Republican — +15-20%
* Republican — +20-25%
* Republican — +25-30%
* Republican — +>30%
1998 Minnesota gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Reform | Jesse Ventura | 773,713 | 36.99% | New |
| | Republican | Norm Coleman | 717,350 | 34.29% | −29.04% |
| | Democratic (DFL) | Skip Humphrey | 587,528 | 28.09% | −6.02% |
| | Green | Ken Pentel | 7,034 | 0.34% | n/a |
| | Libertarian | Frank Germann | 1,932 | 0.09% | −0.80% |
| | Grassroots | Chris Wright | 1,727 | 0.08% | −1.12% |
| | People's Champion | Fancy Ray McCloney | 919 | 0.04% | n/a |
| | Socialist Workers | Thomas Fiske | 787 | 0.04% | −0.14% |
| | | Write-ins | 776 | | n/a |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 56,363 | 2.69% | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,091,766 | 60% | |
| | Reform gain from Republican | Reform gain from Republican | Swing | | |

### Results breakdown

By county:
| County | Coleman | Votes | Humphrey | Votes | Ventura | Votes | Others | Votes |
| Aitkin | 31.6% | 2,447 | 30.3% | 2,347 | 37.4% | 2,897 | 0.6% | 47 |
| Anoka | 29.3% | 37,111 | 19.7% | 24,975 | 50.7% | 64,100 | 0.3% | 363 |
| Becker | 41.4% | 5,030 | 35.7% | 4,349 | 22.4% | 2,721 | 0.5% | 62 |
| Beltrami | 39.8% | 5,872 | 35.9% | 5,289 | 23.0% | 3,387 | 1.3% | 195 |
| Benton | 33.2% | 4,388 | 20.8% | 2,750 | 45.6% | 6,027 | 0.4% | 47 |
| Big Stone | 31.9% | 912 | 40.0% | 1,144 | 27.5% | 786 | 0.5% | 15 |
| Blue Earth | 30.9% | 7,031 | 24.9% | 5,666 | 43.8% | 9,973 | 0.6% | 111 |
| Brown | 45.2% | 5,150 | 21.2% | 2,417 | 33.3% | 3,794 | 0.4% | 44 |
| Carlton | 31.0% | 3,929 | 42.9% | 5,439 | 25.5% | 3,226 | 0.6% | 70 |
| Carver | 39.9% | 11,479 | 16.1% | 4,621 | 43.8% | 12,606 | 0.3% | 88 |
| Cass | 42.0% | 4,781 | 28.9% | 3,288 | 28.7% | 3,268 | 0.5% | 55 |
| Chippewa | 28.3% | 1,721 | 34.0% | 2,064 | 37.4% | 2,271 | 0.3% | 19 |
| Chisago | 28.0% | 5,376 | 18.9% | 3,621 | 52.8% | 10,138 | 0.4% | 71 |
| Clay | 34.7% | 6,200 | 43.5% | 7,766 | 21.8% | 3,797 | 0.5% | 91 |
| Clearwater | 44.8% | 1,439 | 35.0% | 1,124 | 19.5% | 625 | 0.7% | 24 |
| Cook | 38.6% | 1,010 | 39.6% | 1,046 | 18.0% | 474 | 3.8% | 100 |
| Cottonwood | 39.6% | 2,420 | 30.8% | 1,884 | 29.2% | 1,788 | 0.5% | 29 |
| Crow Wing | 39.7% | 9,559 | 26.0% | 6,257 | 33.9% | 8,162 | 0.4% | 104 |
| Dakota | 37.3% | 56,242 | 22.0% | 33,253 | 40.4% | 60,909 | 0.3% | 484 |
| Dodge | 37.4% | 2,619 | 21.2% | 1,484 | 41.0% | 2,867 | 0.4% | 27 |
| Douglas | 42.1% | 6,323 | 23.3% | 3,503 | 34.3% | 5,162 | 0.3% | 41 |
| Faribault | 34.2% | 2,778 | 29.3% | 2,382 | 36.0% | 2,923 | 0.4% | 34 |
| Fillmore | 39.7% | 3,359 | 33.4% | 2,823 | 26.2% | 2,219 | 0.7% | 56 |
| Freeborn | 39.5% | 5,463 | 33.3% | 4,605 | 26.9% | 3,706 | 0.5% | 65 |
| Goodhue | 33.9% | 6,786 | 22.7% | 4,547 | 43.0% | 8,610 | 0.5% | 92 |
| Grant | 30.6% | 1,055 | 31.6% | 1,089 | 37.5% | 1,294 | 0.3% | 10 |
| Hennepin | 31.9% | 155,311 | 30.2% | 147,059 | 36.9% | 179,954 | 1.0% | 4,778 |
| Houston | 48.8% | 3,616 | 37.7% | 2,797 | 12.0% | 891 | 1.5% | 111 |
| Hubbard | 42.6% | 3,697 | 30.1% | 2,609 | 26.7% | 2,317 | 0.7% | 57 |
| Isanti | 27.3% | 3,719 | 19.6% | 2,665 | 52.9% | 7,209 | 0.3% | 36 |
| Itasca | 37.8% | 7,181 | 41.6% | 7,911 | 19.8% | 3,768 | 0.8% | 143 |
| Jackson | 34.9% | 1,796 | 33.5% | 1,728 | 31.1% | 1,605 | 0.5% | 24 |
| Kanabec | 29.0% | 1,895 | 21.1% | 1,374 | 49.6% | 3,238 | 0.3% | 17 |
| Kandiyohi | 34.5% | 6,287 | 29.3% | 5,337 | 35.9% | 6,530 | 0.2% | 45 |
| Kittson | 32.2% | 757 | 50.3% | 1,185 | 16.5% | 389 | 1.0% | 23 |
| Koochiching | 46.4% | 2,721 | 34.9% | 2,347 | 18.1% | 1,064 | 0.56% | 31 |
| Lac Qui | 27.6% | 1,133 | 39.5% | 1,621 | 32.4% | 1,330 | 0.4% | 16 |
| Lake | 30.1% | 1,766 | 42.2% | 2,472 | 26.4% | 1,545 | 1.3% | 75 |
| LOTW | 41.5% | 837 | 42.2% | 852 | 14.3% | 288 | 2.1% | 41 |
| Le Sueur | 30.4% | 3,582 | 22.2% | 2,614 | 47.1% | 5,551 | 0.3% | 35 |
| Lincoln | 36.4% | 1,129 | 36.7% | 1,136 | 26.3% | 815 | 0.6% | 18 |
| Lyon | 39.1% | 4,043 | 28.7% | 2,966 | 31.7% | 3,277 | 0.6% | 66 |
| McLeod | 30.9% | 4,754 | 15.9% | 2,449 | 52.8% | 8,126 | 0.3% | 50 |
| Mahnomen | 41.8% | 821 | 36.5% | 716 | 20.7% | 406 | 1.1% | 21 |
| Marshall | 40.5% | 1,959 | 41.5% | 2,008 | 17.2% | 834 | 0.8% | 38 |
| Martin | 38.8% | 3,676 | 26.7% | 2,534 | 34.2% | 3,243 | 0.2% | 23 |
| Meeker | 31.3% | 3,320 | 19.7% | 2,083 | 48.6% | 5,153 | 0.4% | 39 |
| Mille Lacs | 31.0% | 2,898 | 21.4% | 1,998 | 47.2% | 4,404 | 0.4% | 39 |
| Morrison | 40.6% | 5,377 | 21.9% | 2,899 | 37.0% | 4,905 | 0.6% | 78 |
| Mower | 34.9% | 5,529 | 39.3% | 6,234 | 25.2% | 3,990 | 0.7% | 111 |
| Murray | 38.7% | 1,819 | 34.5% | 1,620 | 26.2% | 1,233 | 0.6% | 30 |
| Nicollet | 33.2% | 4,345 | 25.9% | 3,384 | 40.3% | 5,272 | 0.6% | 78 |
| Nobles | 39.0% | 3,265 | 31.8% | 2,664 | 28.7% | 2,404 | 0.4% | 34 |
| Norman | 31.4% | 1,024 | 49.7% | 1,621 | 18.3% | 596 | 0.6% | 19 |
| Olmsted | 42.7% | 19,480 | 26.8% | 12,205 | 30.1% | 13,710 | 0.4% | 199 |
| Otter Tail | 45.0% | 10,785 | 29.1% | 6,982 | 25.3% | 6,069 | 0.5% | 116 |
| Pennington | 38.8% | 2,226 | 39.3% | 2,253 | 21.4% | 1,226 | 0.6% | 35 |
| Pine | 26.9% | 2,869 | 25.6% | 2,730 | 47.1% | 5,027 | 0.4% | 48 |
| Pipestone | 46.8% | 2,127 | 35.7% | 1,621 | 16.6% | 752 | 0.9% | 43 |
| Polk | 40.7% | 2,347 | 43.5% | 4,462 | 15.5% | 1,699 | 0.4% | 44 |
| Pope | 33.6% | 1,954 | 32.9% | 1,738 | 36.1% | 2,099 | 0.3% | 17 |
| Ramsey | 32.4% | 69,240 | 32.1% | 68,619 | 34.6% | 73,993 | 0.8% | 1,714 |
| Red Lake | 39.6% | 842 | 43.3% | 920 | 16.0% | 339 | 1.1% | 24 |
| Redwood | 42.8% | 3,140 | 22.5% | 1,654 | 34.5% | 2,533 | 0.2% | 17 |
| Renville | 30.7% | 2,514 | 25.4% | 2,079 | 43.7% | 3,583 | 0.3% | 24 |
| Rice | 29.7% | 6,732 | 28.5% | 6,518 | 41.3% | 9,444 | 0.7% | 170 |
| Rock | 47.7% | 1,832 | 36.1% | 1,384 | 15.5% | 596 | 0.7% | 25 |
| Roseau | 49.8% | 2,975 | 31.2% | 1,863 | 18.1% | 1,081 | 1.0% | 57 |
| St. Louis | 28.1% | 24,439 | 47.3% | 41,208 | 23.8% | 20,682 | 0.8% | 17 |
| Scott | 34.9% | 12,075 | 16.7% | 5,787 | 48.1% | 16,612 | 0.3% | 97 |
| Sherburne | 32.1% | 8,139 | 16.4% | 4,163 | 51.2% | 13,004 | 0.3% | 73 |
| Sibley | 32.1% | 2,261 | 17.9% | 1,262 | 49.7% | 3,497 | 0.3% | 24 |
| Stearns | 38.5% | 20,731 | 21.7% | 11,696 | 39.2% | 21,116 | 0.6% | 320 |
| Steele | 38.5% | 5,399 | 21.6% | 3,022 | 39.7% | 5,559 | 0.3% | 37 |
| Stevens | 40.7% | 2,052 | 29.9% | 1,507 | 28.9% | 1,455 | 0.5% | 25 |
| Swift | 26.7% | 1,410 | 35.1% | 1,852 | 38.0% | 2,006 | 0.2% | 11 |
| Todd | 39.3% | 4,293 | 22.4% | 2,426 | 37.9% | 4,146 | 0.5% | 60 |
| Traverse | 34.2% | 733 | 33.7% | 721 | 31.5% | 674 | 0.7% | 14 |
| Wabasha | 35.8% | 3,363 | 23.6% | 2,221 | 40.2% | 3,776 | 0.4% | 41 |
| Wadena | 43.1% | 2,563 | 25.9% | 1,537 | 30.3% | 1,782 | 1.1% | 63 |
| Waseca | 35.8% | 3,064 | 22.3% | 1,904 | 41.4% | 3,543 | 0.5% | 42 |
| Washington | 35.8% | 32,565 | 22.2% | 20,205 | 41.7% | 37,910 | 0.3% | 300 |
| Watonwan | 33.4% | 1,711 | 27.9% | 1,429 | 38.3% | 1,965 | 0.4% | 19 |
| Wilkin | 43.2% | 1,181 | 32.6% | 892 | 23.4% | 639 | 0.8% | 22 |
| Winona | 42.9% | 7,856 | 33.7% | 6,176 | 22.1% | 4,039 | 1.3% | 235 |
| Wright | 32.1% | 11,957 | 16.2% | 6,027 | 51.4% | 19,124 | 0.3% | 106 |
| Yellow Medicine | 29.8% | 1,628 | 33.7% | 1,838 | 36.0% | 1,966 | 0.5% | 25 |
| Totals | 34.29% | 717,350 | 28.09% | 587,528 | 36.99% | 773,713 | 0.63% | 13,175 |