Minnesota elections, 2008

Elections were held in Minnesota on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. Primary elections took place on September 9, 2008.

Federal

President and Vice President

Main article: United States presidential election, 2008

Further information: Minnesota Democratic caucuses, 2008

Further information: Minnesota Republican caucuses, 2008

The 2008 presidential election pitted Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, against Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona. Minnesota was seen as a swing state going into the election.

Both major-party candidates made high-profile visits to the state. Obama gave a speech declaring victory in the Democratic primaries in June of that year at the Xcel Energy Center.^[1] The venue had previously been chosen to host the 2008 Republican National Convention in September; McCain accepted the nomination of the Republican party at the same venue three months later.

Ultimately, Obama won the state relatively easily, earning all 10 of the state's electoral votes.

2008 Minnesota Presidential Election[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	DFL	Barack Obama and Joe Biden	1,573,354	54.06%	+2.97%
	Republican	John McCain and Sarah Palin	1,275,409	43.82%	−3.81%
	Independent	Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez	30,152	1.04%	+0.32
	Libertarian	Bob Barr and Wayne Root	9,174	0.32%	n/a
	Constitution	Chuck Baldwin and Darrell Castle	6,787	0.23%	n/a
	Green	Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente	5,174	0.18%	n/a
	Socialist Workers	Róger Calero and Alyson Kennedy	790	0.03%	n/a
	Write-ins		9,496	0.33%
Margin of victory			297,945	10.24%
Turnout			2,910,336

United States House

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota, 2008

See also: United States House of Representatives elections, 2008

All eight seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2010. Seven incumbents successfully sought re-election. One incumbent, Rep. Jim Ramstad, R-Minnesota, retired, and was replaced by State Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Eden Prairie, who defeated Democratic challenger Ashwin Madia.

United States Senate

Main article: United States Senate election in Minnesota, 2008

See also: United States Senate elections, 2008

Incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minnesota, was challenged by radio host and comedian Al Franken, a DFLer, and former Sen. Dean Barkley, IP-Minnesota. The race would prove to be one of the closest in American history, requiring a recount and subsequent legal challenges that would prevent a winner from being seated until July of 2009. While Coleman held a slight lead at the end of election night, the subsequent recount ultimately gave Al Franken a 225-vote lead.^[3] A legal challenge by Coleman was unsuccessful, and Franken was eventually declared the winner of the election by unanimous ruling of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

2008 Minnesota U.S. Senate Election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	DFL	Al Franken	1,212,629	41.994%	−5.35%
	Republican	Norm Coleman	1,212,317	41.983%	−7.55%
	Independence	Dean Barkley	437,505	15.151%	+13.15%
	Libertarian	Charles Aldrich	13,923	0.482%	n/a
	Constitution	James Niemackl	8,907	0.308%	+0.21%
	Write-ins		2,365	0.082%
Margin of victory			312	0.011%
Turnout			2,887,646
	DFL gain from Republican		Swing

Note: This table combines the certified results of January 5, 2009, listed above with the added absentee ballots from April 7, 2009, 198 for Franken and 111 for Coleman.

State

Statewide offices in Minnesota, including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Auditor were not up for election in 2008.

Minnesota Senate

The Minnesota Senate was not up for election in 2008.

Minnesota House of Representatives

All 134 seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives were up for election in 2008. The DFL expanded its lead in the chamber, gaining two seats to 87 members. Republicans lost one seat, dropping to 47 members. The body's lone independent, Mark Olson -- who had been ejected from the Republican caucus after being convicted of spousal abuse -- chose not to seek re-election.

References

1. ^ Obama to Hold Tuesday Rally at Xcel Center
2. ^ ""Minnesota Secretary of State"". Minnesota Secretary of State. http://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us/20081104/ElecRslts.asp?M=S&R=P. Retrieved 2010-08-02. 
3. ^ Minnesota canvassing board certifies Franken win