Minnesota 2010 legislative election results
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Minnesota State Senate Election Results
This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Minnesota State Senate. For results in individual contests see our Minnesota State Senate elections, 2010 page. The following is a breakdown of the state senate before and after the election:
| Minnesota State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 46 | 30 | |
| Republican Party | 21 | 37 | |
| Total | 67 | 67 | |
What You'll See on This Page
This page displays the following lists of candidates
- Incumbents who ran on November 2
- Incumbents who were defeated
- Challengers who defeated an incumbent
- Newly elected senators
- List of all winners
- Unopposed candidates
- Third party candidates
State Senate Overview:
- There were 57 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 13 incumbents lost, and thus 44 incumbents were re-elected to the Minnesota State Senate.
- No Republican incumbents lost in the general election, while 13 Democratic incumbents lost.
- There will be 23 new senators sworn-in. Of those 23, 2 are Democrats and 21 are Republicans
- Of the 67 seats up for election, 30 were won by Democrats and 37 by Republicans.
- 2 candidates were unopposed, 0 Democrats and 2 Republicans.
- Only 7 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.
Incumbency Analysis
Of the 1,167 state senate seats up for election in 2010, incumbents ran for 894 (76.6%) of them. Of these 894, 94 lost their re-election bids, 89 Democrats and 5 Republicans. In Minnesota, 10 incumbent senators did not run for re-election on the November 2 ballot, while 57 incumbents (85.1%) ran for re-election. Of these 57 incumbents, 13 were defeated. All 13 were Democrats.
Incumbents who ran on November 2
The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:
- Jim Carlson
- Leo Foley
- Amy Koch
- Ann Lynch
- Ann Rest
- Bill Ingebrigtsen
- Kevin Dahle
- Charles Wiger
- Chris Gerlach
- John Doll (Minnesota)
- Claire Robling
- Dan Skogen
- Dan Sparks (Minnesota)
- David Hann
- David Senjem
- David Tomassoni
- Dick Cohen
- Don Betzold
- Ellen Anderson
- Gary Kubly
- Gen Olson
- Geoff Michel
- Ron Latz
- James Metzen
- Joe Gimse
- John Marty
- Julianne Ortman
- Julie Rosen
- Kathy Saltzman
- Kathy Sheran
- Katie Sieben
- Keith Langseth
- Ken Kelash
- Lawrence Pogemiller
- LeRoy Stumpf
- Linda Berglin
- Linda Higgins
- Linda Scheid
- Lisa Fobbe
- Mary Olson
- Michelle Fischbach
- Mike Jungbauer
- Mike Parry
- Patricia Torres Ray
- Ray Vandeveer
- Rick Olseen
- Rod Skoe
- Sandra Pappas
- Sandy Rummel
- Scott Dibble
- Sharon Erickson Ropes
- Terri Bonoff
- Thomas Bakk
- Tom Saxhaug
- Tony Lourey
- Warren Limmer
Incumbents defeated
The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:
| Candidate | Party | District |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Carlson | ||
| Leo Foley | ||
| Ann Lynch | ||
| Kevin Dahle | ||
| John Doll (Minnesota) | ||
| Dan Skogen | ||
| Don Betzold | ||
| Kathy Saltzman | ||
| Lisa Fobbe | ||
| Mary Olson | ||
| Rick Olseen | ||
| Sandy Rummel | ||
| Sharon Erickson Ropes |
Challengers who beat an incumbent
The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:
New State Senators and General Election Winners
388 new senators were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 388, 278 were Republicans and 110 were Democrats. In Minnesota, 24 new senators will be sworn-in. Of those 24, 3 are Democrats and 21 are Republicans. In the 11 open seat contests, Republicans won 8 and Democrats 3. In total, Minnesota elected 57 senators, 37 Republicans and 30 Democrats.
Newly elected senators
The following are the newly-elected members of the Minnesota State Senate:
Democratic
Republican
- Al DeKruif
- Benjamin Kruse
- Roger Chamberlain
- Carla Nelson
- Dan Hall
- Dave Thompson (Minnesota)
- Doug Magnus
- Gary Dahms
- Ted Daley
- Gretchen Hoffman
- John Carlson (Minnesota)
- John Howe (Minnesota)
- John Pederson (Minnesota)
- Michelle Benson
- Pam Wolf
- Paul Gazelka
- Sean Nienow
- Ted Lillie
- Dave Brown (Minnesota)
- Scott Newman
- Jeremy Miller (Minnesota)
Open Seat Winners
The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:
Democratic
Republican
Candidates who won election
The following is a list of all candidates elected to the Minnesota State Senate:
Democratic
- Ann Rest
- Barb Goodwin
- Charles Wiger
- Dan Sparks (Minnesota)
- Dick Cohen
- Ellen Anderson
- Gary Kubly
- Ron Latz
- James Metzen
- John Harrington
- John Marty
- Kathy Sheran
- Katie Sieben
- Keith Langseth
- Ken Kelash
- Lawrence Pogemiller
- LeRoy Stumpf
- Linda Berglin
- Linda Higgins
- Linda Scheid
- Patricia Torres Ray
- Rod Skoe
- Roger Reinert
- Sandra Pappas
- Scott Dibble
- Terri Bonoff
- Tom Saxhaug
- Tony Lourey
Republican
- Al DeKruif
- Amy Koch
- Benjamin Kruse
- Bill Ingebrigtsen
- Roger Chamberlain
- Carla Nelson
- Chris Gerlach
- Claire Robling
- Dan Hall
- Dave Thompson (Minnesota)
- David Hann
- David Senjem
- Doug Magnus
- Gary Dahms
- Gen Olson
- Geoff Michel
- Ted Daley
- Gretchen Hoffman
- Joe Gimse
- John Carlson (Minnesota)
- John Howe (Minnesota)
- John Pederson (Minnesota)
- Julianne Ortman
- Julie Rosen
- Michelle Benson
- Michelle Fischbach
- Mike Jungbauer
- Mike Parry
- Pam Wolf
- Paul Gazelka
- Ray Vandeveer
- Sean Nienow
- Ted Lillie
- Warren Limmer
- Dave Brown (Minnesota)
- Scott Newman
- Jeremy Miller (Minnesota)
Competitiveness
Across the nation, 1,167 state senate seats were up for election in 2010. 1,143 of those seats were partisan seats (24 seats were up for election in Nebraska's nonpartisan unicameral legislature). In 320 (28.0%) of these state senate contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In Minnesota, 2 candidates (3.0% of seats) faced no major party opposition. Of these 2, both were Republicans.
Unopposed candidates in general election
The following candidates did not face major party competition:
Democratic
There were no Democratic candidates did not face major party competition.
Republican
Ballot Access
Across the nation, 140 independent or third party candidates ran for state senate. In Minnesota, 10 (7.0%) of the 142 senate candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate.
Third party candidates
The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:
House
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Minnesota State House Election Results
This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the Minnesota House of Representatives. For results in individual contests, see our Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2010. The following is a breakdown of the state house before and after the election:
| Minnesota House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 87 | 62 | |
| Republican Party | 47 | 72 | |
| Total | 134 | 134 | |
What You'll See on This Page
This page displays the following lists of candidates
- Incumbents who ran on November 2
- Incumbents who were defeated
- Challengers who defeated an incumbent
- Newly elected senators
- List of all winners
- Unopposed candidates
- Third party candidates
State House Overview:
- There were 119 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. 21 incumbents lost, and thus 98 incumbents were re-elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives.
- No Republican incumbents lost in the general election, while 21 incumbent Democratic incumbent lost.
- There will be 36 new representatives sworn-in. Of those 36, 3 are Democrats and 33 are Republicans
- Of the 134 seats up for election, 62 were won by Democrats and 72 by Republicans.
- 3 candidates were unopposed, 0 Democrats and 3 Republicans.
- Only 16 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.
Incumbency Analysis
Of the 4,958 state house seats up for election, incumbents ran in the general election for 4,091 (79.5%) of them. Of these 4,091 incumbents, 413 lost their re-election bids, 403 Democrats and 10 Republicans. In Minnesota, 119 (88.8%) incumbents ran for re-election. Of these 119, 21 incumbent representatives were defeated. All 21 incumbents were Democrats.
Incumbents who ran on November 2
The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:
- Keith Downey
- Jenifer Loon
- Sarah Anderson
- Tom Hackbarth
- Jim Abeler
- Peggy Scott
- Tim Sanders (Minnesota)
- Bob Dettmer
- Matt Dean
- Carol McFarlane
- Denny McNamara
- Larry Howes
- Morrie Lanning
- Bud Nornes
- Mark Murdock
- Torrey Westrom
- Paul Anderson (Minnesota)
- Steve Gottwalt
- Mary Kiffmeyer
- Ron Shimanski
- Dean Urdahl
- Bruce Anderson (Minnesota)
- Paul Torkelson
- Bob Gunther
- Tony Cornish
- Tim Kelly (Minnesota)
- Steve Drazkowski
- Greg Davids
- Joyce Peppin
- Kurt Zellers
- Steve Smith (Minnesota)
- Connie Doepke
- Mark Buesgens
- Mary Liz Holberg
- Pat Garofalo
- Tara Mack
- Ryan Winkler
- Sandra Peterson
- Lyndon Carlson
- Michael V. Nelson
- Debra Hilstrom
- Denise Dittrich
- Melissa Hortman
- Carolyn Laine
- Tom Tillberry
- Mindy Greiling
- Bev Scalze
- Leon Lillie
- Nora Slawik
- Joe Mullery
- Bobby Joe Champion
- Diane Loeffler
- Frank Hornstein
- Phyllis Kahn
- Karen Clark
- Jeff Hayden
- Jim Davnie
- Jean Wagenius
- Paul Thissen
- Linda Slocum
- Erin Murphy (Minnesota)
- Michael Paymar
- Carlos Mariani
- John Lesch
- Alice Hausman
- Tim Mahoney (Minnesota)
- Sheldon Johnson
- John Persell
- Anthony Sertich
- David Dill
- Mary C. Murphy (Minnesota state representative)
- Thomas Huntley
- Bill Hilty
- Paul Marquart
- John Ward (Minnesota)
- Larry Hosch
- Andrew Falk (Minnesota)
- Lyle Koenen
- Terry Morrow
- Kathy Brynaert
- Kory Kath
- Patti Fritz
- Robin Brown (Minnesota)
- Jeanne Poppe
- Kim Norton
- Tina Liebling
- Gene Pelowski Jr.
- Rick Hansen (Minnesota)
- Joe Atkins
- Ann Lenczewski
- John Benson (Minnesota)
- Kent Eken
- Tom Anzelc
- David Olin
- Bernie Lieder
- Brita Sailer
- Loren Solberg
- Tim Faust
- Al Doty
- Al Juhnke
- Gail Jackson (Minnesota)
- David Bly
- Andy Welti
- Phillip Sterner
- Sandra Masin
- Mike Obermueller
- William Morgan (Minnesota)
- Paul Rosenthal (Minnesota)
- Maria Ruud
- Paul Gardner
- Julie Bunn
- Marsha Swails
- Rod Hamilton
- Joe Hoppe
- Steve Simon (Minnesota)
- Jerry Newton
- Tom Rukavina
- Michael Beard
Incumbents defeated
The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:
Challengers who beat an incumbent
The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:
New Representatives and General Election Winners
1,345 new representatives were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 1,345, 988 were Republicans and 357 were Democrats. In Minnesota, 36 new representatives will be sworn-in. Of those 36, 3 are Democrats and 33 are Republicans. In the 15 open seat contests, Republicans won 12 and Democrats 3. In total, Minnesota elected 134 representatives, 72 Republicans and 62 Democrats.
Newly elected representatives
The following are the newly-elected members of the Minnesota House of Representatives:
Democratic
Republican
- Dan Fabian
- Debra Kiel
- David Hancock (Minnesota)
- Carolyn McElfatrick
- Roger Crawford
- Mary Franson
- Mike LeMieur
- Bruce Vogel
- Tim O'Driscoll
- King Banaian
- Sondra Erickson
- Kurt Daudt
- Bob Barrett
- Joe McDonald
- Chris Swedzinski
- Joe Schomacker
- Glenn Gruenhagen
- Kelby Woodard
- Mike Benson
- Ernie Leidiger
- Kurt Bills
- Diane Anderson (Minnesota state representative)
- Doug Wardlow
- Pam Myhra
- Pat Mazorol
- Kirk Stensrud
- Branden Petersen
- Linda Runbeck
- Kathy Lohmer
- Andrea Kieffer
- John Kriesel
- Rich Murray
- Duane Quam
- Rick Olson (Minnesota)
Open Seat Winners
The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:
Democratic
Republican
Candidates who won election
The following is a list of all candidates elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives:
Democratic
- Kerry Gauthier
- Marion Greene
- Ryan Winkler
- Sandra Peterson
- Lyndon Carlson
- Michael V. Nelson
- Debra Hilstrom
- Denise Dittrich
- Melissa Hortman
- Carolyn Laine
- Tom Tillberry
- Mindy Greiling
- Bev Scalze
- Leon Lillie
- Nora Slawik
- Joe Mullery
- Bobby Joe Champion
- Diane Loeffler
- Frank Hornstein
- Phyllis Kahn
- Karen Clark
- Jeff Hayden
- Jim Davnie
- Jean Wagenius
- Paul Thissen
- Linda Slocum
- Erin Murphy (Minnesota)
- Michael Paymar
- Carlos Mariani
- John Lesch
- Alice Hausman
- Tim Mahoney (Minnesota)
- Sheldon Johnson
- John Persell
- Anthony Sertich
- David Dill
- Mary C. Murphy (Minnesota state representative)
- Thomas Huntley
- Bill Hilty
- Paul Marquart
- John Ward (Minnesota)
- Larry Hosch
- Andrew Falk (Minnesota)
- Lyle Koenen
- Terry Morrow
- Kathy Brynaert
- Kory Kath
- Patti Fritz
- Jeanne Poppe
- Kim Norton
- Tina Liebling
- Gene Pelowski Jr.
- Rick Hansen (Minnesota)
- Joe Atkins
- Ann Lenczewski
- John Benson (Minnesota)
- Kent Eken
- Tom Anzelc
- Rena Moran
- Steve Simon (Minnesota)
- Tom Rukavina
Republican
- Dan Fabian
- Debra Kiel
- David Hancock (Minnesota)
- Carolyn McElfatrick
- Roger Crawford
- Mary Franson
- Mike LeMieur
- Bruce Vogel
- Tim O'Driscoll
- King Banaian
- Sondra Erickson
- Kurt Daudt
- Bob Barrett
- Joe McDonald
- Chris Swedzinski
- Joe Schomacker
- Glenn Gruenhagen
- Kelby Woodard
- Mike Benson
- Ernie Leidiger
- Kurt Bills
- Diane Anderson (Minnesota state representative)
- Doug Wardlow
- Pam Myhra
- Pat Mazorol
- Kirk Stensrud
- Branden Petersen
- Linda Runbeck
- Kathy Lohmer
- Andrea Kieffer
- John Kriesel
- Keith Downey
- Jenifer Loon
- Sarah Anderson
- Tom Hackbarth
- Jim Abeler
- Peggy Scott
- Tim Sanders (Minnesota)
- Bob Dettmer
- Matt Dean
- Carol McFarlane
- Denny McNamara
- Larry Howes
- Morrie Lanning
- Bud Nornes
- Mark Murdock
- Torrey Westrom
- Paul Anderson (Minnesota)
- Steve Gottwalt
- Mary Kiffmeyer
- Ron Shimanski
- Dean Urdahl
- Bruce Anderson (Minnesota)
- Paul Torkelson
- Bob Gunther
- Tony Cornish
- Tim Kelly (Minnesota)
- Steve Drazkowski
- Greg Davids
- Joyce Peppin
- Kurt Zellers
- Steve Smith (Minnesota)
- Connie Doepke
- Mark Buesgens
- Mary Liz Holberg
- Pat Garofalo
- Tara Mack
- Rod Hamilton
- Joe Hoppe
- Rich Murray
- Duane Quam
- Michael Beard
- Rick Olson (Minnesota)
Competitiveness
Across the nation, 4,958 state house seats were up for election in 2010. In 1,680 (33.9%) of these state house contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In Minnesota, 3 candidates (2.2% of all seats) faced no major party opposition. All 3 were Republicans.
Unopposed candidates in general election
The following candidates did not face major party competition:
Democratic
There were no Democratic candidates that did not face major party competition:
Republican
Ballot Access
In Minnesota, 16 (5.7%) of the 279 house candidates ran as independent or third party candidates.
Third party candidates
The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:
National Partisan Trends
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| Other 2010 Election information |
National Partisan Trends
The following tables detail the partisan breakdown of national election results. These results provide context for Republican gains in Minnesota.
Incumbents who were defeated in the general election
Across the nation, only 15 Republican incumbents were defeated while 492 Democratic incumbents were defeated. In total, 507 (10.4%) of the 4,872 incumbents running in the general election were defeated. The following is a breakdown of incumbent defeats in the 2010 general election:
The following is the breakdown of incumbents who lost.
| Incumbents defeated in 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 89 | 403 | 492 |
| Republican | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| TOTALS | 94 | 413 | 507 |
Total new legislators elected
In total, 1,733 (28.3%) new legislators were elected in 2010. Of these 1,733, 1,266 (73.1%) are Republicans and 467 (26.9%) are Democrats.
The following is the breakdown of new legislators.
| New Legislators after the 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 110 | 357 | 467 |
| Republican | 278 | 988 | 1,266 |
| TOTALS | 388 | 1,345 | 1,733 |
Winners of Open Seats
Open seats contests made up 1,178 (19.2%) of the 6,125 seats on November 2. Of these 1,178 open seats, Republicans won 729 (61.9%) while Democrats won 449 (38.1%). Going into the election, the number of open seats formerly held by each party was quite similar. Estimates prior to the election suggest that approximately 52% of the open seats were previously held by Republicans and 48% were held by Democrats.
The following is the breakdown of open seat winners.
| Open Seat Winners in 2010 legislative elections | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Senate | House | Total |
| Democratic | 108 | 341 | 449 |
| Republican | 191 | 538 | 729 |
| TOTALS | 299 | 879 | 1,178 |
Impact on legislative majorities
- See also: Partisan balance of state legislatures
Heading into the November 2 elections, the Democratic Party held a commanding lead in state houses in the 88 legislative chambers that held elections in 2010. 52 of the 88 chambers, or nearly 60% of them, had a Democratic majority, while only 33 of them had a Republican majority. (Two chambers had an exactly equal number of Democrats and Republicans and one is officially nonpartisan.) The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures prior to the November 2 election:
| Partisan breakdown before the November 2010 Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber | 
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| State senates | 23 | 18 | 1 | 1 |
| State houses | 29 | 15 | 1 | - |
| Totals: | 52 | 33 | 2 | 1 |
As a result of the election, Republicans picked up 20 legislative chambers while Democrats lost 20. Republicans won 53 total chambers on November 2, while Democrats won only 32. The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures after the November 2 election:
| Partisan breakdown after the November 2010 Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legislative chamber |
|
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| State senates | 16 | 25 | 1 | 1 |
| State houses | 16 | 28 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals: | 32 | 53 | 2 | 1 |
Another way to examine the data is to gauge how many chambers had gains for the Democratic Party versus the Republican Party. Using this variable, the wide-sweeping Republican victory is further amplified. Democrats bolstered their majorities in only 7 of 88 (7.96%) state chambers. These legislatures are as follows:
| State legislative chambers where Democrats gained seats on November 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| State | Chamber | Number of seats gained by Democrats |
| California | Assembly | + 2 |
| Delaware | House | + 2 |
| Hawaii | Senate | + 1 |
| Maryland | Senate | + 2 |
| Massachusetts | Senate | + 1 |
| Missouri | Senate | + 1 |
| West Virginia | Senate | + 1 |
In 7 chambers, the GOP kept their current number of seats. In one chamber, the California State Assembly, both major parties gained seats by filling 2 vacancies and defeating an incumbent independent. Overall, the Republican Party picked up legislative seats in 75 (85.2%) of the 88 legislative chambers that held elections on November 2.
Impact on State Politics
Along with the GOP capture of the U.S. House of Representatives, state Republicans gained trifectas (control of the governorship, house, and senate) in 12 states. The following is a breakdown of trifectas across the nation, before and after the 2010 election:
| Trifectas before and after the 2010 Election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Before election | U.S. House seats | After election | U.S. House seats | Gain/loss states | Gain/loss congressional seats |
| 16 | 131 | 11 | 115 | -5 | -16 | |
| 8 | 66 | 20 | 198 | +12 | +132 | |
Before the election, 131 U.S House seats were in states with Democratic trifectas, while 66 districts were in states with Republican trifectas. After the election, Republicans trifectas control redistricting for 198 U.S. House seats while Democrats control only 115. Additionally, California, the strongest Democratic trifecta with 53 U.S. House representatives, passed propositions that take redistricting power away from state government.
