Minnesota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

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2018
Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: May 31, 2022
Primary: August 9, 2022
General: November 8, 2022

Pre-election incumbent(s):
Gov. Tim Walz (Democratic)
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (Democratic)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Minnesota
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Likely Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Democratic
Inside Elections: Lean Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2022
Impact of term limits in 2022
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
Minnesota
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
Auditor

Incumbent Gov. Tim Walz (D) defeated Scott Jensen (R) and eight other candidates in the general election for governor of Minnesota on November 8, 2022.

Walz’s win contributed to Minnesota becoming a Democratic trifecta, as Democrats maintained their majority in the Minnesota House of Representatives and gained a majority in the Minnesota State Senate.

Walz served in the Army National Guard and was a teacher in Mankato, Minnesota.[1] He was first elected to Minnesota's 1st congressional district in 2006 and served in the U.S. House until 2019. Walz was elected governor in 2018, defeating Jeff Johnson (R), 54% to 42%. Walz said that his administration had built a strong economy in his first term. He said that he "balanced every budget while cutting taxes, adding money to the state’s rainy-day fund, and making critical investments to expand access to training opportunities and community college programs."[2]

Jensen, a physician, was owner of Catalyst Medical Clinic in Watertown, Minnesota. He was a member of the Waconia School Board and served in the Minnesota State Senate from 2017 to 2021. He listed his top campaign priorities as stopping crime, fighting inflation, lowering energy costs, protecting and supporting women, and increasing rural prosperity.[3] Jensen explained why he was running, saying, "Our great State has suffered under unilateral control, partisan bickering, and political brinksmanship by the parties and politicians...We need a new vision, a new prescription... It’s time for a new direction in Minnesota."[4]

From 1990 to 2022, Minnesota had two Democratic governors, two Republican governors, and one governor who was elected as a member of the Reform Party. Walz succeeded Mark Dayton (D), who served as governor from 2011 to 2019.

Heading into the 2022 elections, Minnesota was one of 13 states with divided government and one of two states—along with Virginia—where partisan control of the state legislature was split between Democrats and Republicans. From 1992 to 2022, Minnesota had divided government for 28 out of 30 years.

The 2020 and 2016 presidential elections in Minnesota were both decided by seven percentage points or less. In the 2020 election, President Joe Biden (D) won the state over then-incumbent President Donald Trump (R), 52% to 45%. In 2016, Hillary Clinton carried Minnesota with 46.4% of the vote to Trump's (D) 44.9%. At the start of the 2022 election cycle, Inside Elections rated this race Solid Democratic.[5]

Thirty-six states held gubernatorial elections in 2022. Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 28 Republican governors and 22 Democratic governors. Of those states holding gubernatorial elections, 20 had a Republican governor, and 16 states had a Democratic one. In 2022, eight governors—five Republicans and three Democrats—did not run for re-election, with seven of those not running due to term limits.

Minor party and write-in candidates included Steve Patterson (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota), Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota), James McCaskel (Legal Marijuana Now Party), Gabrielle Prosser (Socialist Workers Party), and independent write-in candidates Loner Blue, Joshua Olgbolahan Jubril, Joyce Lacey, and Mohamed Mourssi-Alfash.

As of 2022, Minnesota was one of nine states where the lieutenant governor is chosen by each gubernatorial candidate before the primaries and runs on a single ticket in both the primary and general elections. The table below displays the governor and lieutenant governor candidates for each ticket.

Minnesota governor and lieutenant governor tickets, 2022
Party Gubernatorial candidate Lieutenant governor running mate
Democrat Tim Walz Peggy Flanagan
Republican Scott Jensen Matt Birk
Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota Steve Patterson Matt Huff
Independence Party of Minnesota Hugh McTavish Mike Winter
Legal Marijuana Now Party James McCaskel David Sandbeck
Socialist Workers Party Gabrielle Prosser Kevin A. Dwire


Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Election news

Click below to view a timeline leading up to the election, including polling, debates, and other noteworthy events.

  • October 31, 2022: Pre-General election campaign finance filings were due. Walz reported raising $5.7 million and spending $8.6 million and Jensen reported raising $4.4 million and spending $4.9 million during 2022.[6][7]
  • September 18, 2022: The Trafalgar Group released a poll of 1,079 likely voters sponsored by Alpha News showing Gov. Tim Walz (D) with 48%, Scott Jensen with 45%, and 7% selecting another candidate or undecided. The margin of error was ± 2.9 percentage points.[8]
  • September 17, 2022: Mason Dixon Polling and Strategy released a poll of 800 likely voters sponsored by MPR News, the Star Tribune, and KARE 11 showing Gov. Tim Walz (D) with 48%, Scott Jensen with 41%, and 11% selecting another candidate or undecided. The margin of error was ± 3.5 percentage points.[9]
  • September 6, 2022: Survey USA released a poll of 562 likely voters sponsored by KSTP showing Gov. Tim Walz (D) with 51%, Scott Jensen with 33%, and 16% selecting another candidate or undecided. The margin of error was ± 4.9 percentage points.[10]
  • August 3, 2022: Jensen and Walz participated in a debate at Farmfest near Redwood Falls, Minnesota.[11]

Candidates and election results

Governor

General election

General election for Governor of Minnesota

The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Minnesota on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tim Walz
Tim Walz (D)
 
52.3
 
1,312,349
Image of Scott Jensen
Scott Jensen (R)
 
44.6
 
1,119,941
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
James McCaskel (Legal Marijuana Now Party)
 
1.2
 
29,346
Image of Steve Patterson
Steve Patterson (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota)
 
0.9
 
22,599
Image of Hugh McTavish
Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota) Candidate Connection
 
0.7
 
18,156
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Gabrielle Prosser (Socialist Workers Party)
 
0.3
 
7,241
Image of Joyce Lacey
Joyce Lacey (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
11
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Mohamed Mourssi-Alfash (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
5
Image of Loner Blue
Loner Blue (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
4
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Joshua Olgbolahan Jubril (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
0
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
1,009

Total votes: 2,510,661
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota

Incumbent Tim Walz defeated Ole Savior in the Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tim Walz
Tim Walz
 
96.5
 
416,973
Image of Ole Savior
Ole Savior
 
3.5
 
14,950

Total votes: 431,923
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota

Scott Jensen defeated Joyce Lacey and Bob Carney Jr. in the Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Scott Jensen
Scott Jensen
 
89.3
 
288,499
Image of Joyce Lacey
Joyce Lacey
 
6.6
 
21,308
Image of Bob Carney Jr.
Bob Carney Jr.
 
4.1
 
13,213

Total votes: 323,020
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary election

Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary for Governor of Minnesota

Steve Patterson defeated Darrell Paulsen in the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Steve Patterson
Steve Patterson
 
59.1
 
1,003
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Darrell Paulsen
 
40.9
 
693

Total votes: 1,696
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Legal Marijuana Now Party primary election

Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for Governor of Minnesota

James McCaskel defeated Chris Wright in the Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
James McCaskel
 
51.9
 
1,461
Image of Chris Wright
Chris Wright Candidate Connection
 
48.1
 
1,356

Total votes: 2,817
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Lieutenant Governor

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota

The following candidates ran in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Peggy Flanagan
Peggy Flanagan (D)
 
52.3
 
1,312,349
Image of Matt Birk
Matt Birk (R)
 
44.6
 
1,119,941
Image of David Sandbeck
David Sandbeck (Legal Marijuana Now Party)
 
1.2
 
29,346
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Matt Huff (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota)
 
0.9
 
22,599
Image of Mike Winter
Mike Winter (Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota)
 
0.7
 
18,156
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Kevin A. Dwire (Socialist Workers Party)
 
0.3
 
7,241
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Kent Edwards (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
11
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Lance Hegland (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
5
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Al Smith (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
4
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Olamide Jubril (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
0
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
1,009

Total votes: 2,510,661
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Voting information

See also: Voting in Minnesota

Election information in Minnesota: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
  • By mail: Received by Oct. 18, 2022
  • Online: Oct. 18, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 7, 2022
  • By mail: Received by Nov. 7, 2022
  • Online: Nov. 7, 2022

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
  • By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Sep. 23, 2022 to Nov. 7, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7 a.m. to 8 p.m.


Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Image of Tim Walz

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 


Biography:  Walz received a bachelor's degree in social science from Chadron State College. His professional experience includes serving in the Army National Guard and as a high school teacher at Mankato West High School. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019 and was elected governor of Minnesota in 2018.



Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.


Walz said that his administration had built a strong economy in his first term, saying on his campaign website that he "balanced every budget while cutting taxes, adding money to the state’s rainy-day fund, and making critical investments to expand access to training opportunities and community college programs."


Walz said in his first term that he had "made a major push to expand access to pre-kindergarten, and their most recent budget included major investments in summer learning programs to ensure that students statewide stay up to speed on their education despite the pandemic."


Walz said on his campaign website that he had "helped pass important public safety reforms to tackle crime and reduce gun violence while reforming policing to ensure the safety of all Minnesotans." and "proposed $300 million to help local governments fund law enforcement, first responders, and improve public safety."


Show sources

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Minnesota in 2022.

Image of Scott Jensen

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 


Biography:  Jensen received a bachelor's degree in physiology from the University of Minnesota, attended Luther Theological Seminary, and a medical degree from the University of Minnesota. His professional experience includes serving as a physician in private practice. He served on the Waconia School Board from 1993 to 2002 and in the Minnesota State Senate from 2017 to 2021.



Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.


Jensen listed his top campaign priorities on his website as stopping crime, fighting inflation, lowering energy costs, protecting and supporting women, and increasing rural prosperity.


Jensen's plan for reducing crime on his campaign website included proposals to "Make Carjacking a Crime with Harsh Penalty, Stop Non-Profit Funding to Bail out Criminals, Bring in the State Patrol to Reinstate Order, and Stiffen penalties for repeat, violent criminals to felony levels and increase sentencing guidelines for such crimes."


Jensen stated a plan to lower gas prices which included provisions to "Increase the availability of higher biofuel blends in Minnesota without a E15 mandate...Suspend the 28.6 cent Minnesota gas tax and freeze the 2 cent click on tax for gas...and directing our Commerce Department to report...on any measure...to reduce the fuel costs on Minnesotans at either the retail, wholesale or production level.


Show sources

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Minnesota in 2022.

Image of Hugh McTavish

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "I am a Ph.D. biochemist, patent attorney, inventor, entrepreneur, and author. I have started two pharmaceutical companies off my own inventions. I have 21 U.S. patents, 18 scientific journal articles, have authored three books, and have started two pharmaceutical companies off of my own inventions. Like all of us, I have had adversity in my life, and I try to turn those events for good. When I got cancer, I invented a better cancer drug and started a company around it. When Gov. Walz locked us in our homes for 6 weeks and thereby drove me and 1 in 5 of us into depression, I took that adversity as fuel and started a nonprofit COVID Sanity and wrote a book COVID Lockdown Insanity to document the harms of the lockdown response to COVID, especially the huge increases in depression, drug abuse, and deaths of despair, and how vastly those harms exceeded the benefits. Easily my greatest invention is what I call “Jury Democracy,” and that is the reason I am running for office. It can transform the way we do government, entirely for the better. "


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


Jury Democracy. Empowering the people. I will call juries of 500+ randomly selected citizens to the capital to listen to the arguments and evidence from both sides on one bill or proposal, break into small groups of 12 to discuss it, and then vote by secret ballot. Every bill to become law and every important decision will require the approval of a citizen jury. Effectively, I will not be Governor, WE ALL WILL BE! Decisions will be made: (1) By reason and evidence instead of money and influence (2) By civil discourse instead of division and screaming at each other (3) By all of us, instead of by politicians and bureaucrats


Govern with the goal of happiness, instead of GDP growth. We will measure and track happiness, depression, and loneliness as carefully as we now measure economic statistics. Toward that end I propose (1) Replace the mask mandate with a Name Tag Request. Ask that all of us wear name tag that says “Minnesota Nice” and your first name on it. It will promote connection and be a reminder to be nice. (2) The “Minnesota Siesta.” I will ask all of us to take a 15 minute walk outside once a week at 2 pm on Thursdays. This also will promote connection and happiness and exercise and being outside.


Rewild Minnesota and share the planet with wild species. Sharing is a value we should have learned in kindergarten. I propose that over a 50-year period we rewild 50% of the land. We return it to nature and to the primary use of wild species. I want buffalo roaming wild, abundant native prairie, and wolves, cougars, and bears restored to their native range over 50% of the land. This is economically feasible, but it is only possible with Jury Democracy for reasons explained at McTavish4MN.org.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Minnesota in 2022.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Hugh_McTavish.jpg

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance of Minnesota)

Jury Democracy. Empowering the people. I will call juries of 500+ randomly selected citizens to the capital to listen to the arguments and evidence from both sides on one bill or proposal, break into small groups of 12 to discuss it, and then vote by secret ballot. Every bill to become law and every important decision will require the approval of a citizen jury. Effectively, I will not be Governor, WE ALL WILL BE! Decisions will be made: (1) By reason and evidence instead of money and influence (2) By civil discourse instead of division and screaming at each other (3) By all of us, instead of by politicians and bureaucrats

Govern with the goal of happiness, instead of GDP growth. We will measure and track happiness, depression, and loneliness as carefully as we now measure economic statistics. Toward that end I propose (1) Replace the mask mandate with a Name Tag Request. Ask that all of us wear name tag that says “Minnesota Nice” and your first name on it. It will promote connection and be a reminder to be nice. (2) The “Minnesota Siesta.” I will ask all of us to take a 15 minute walk outside once a week at 2 pm on Thursdays. This also will promote connection and happiness and exercise and being outside.

Rewild Minnesota and share the planet with wild species. Sharing is a value we should have learned in kindergarten. I propose that over a 50-year period we rewild 50% of the land. We return it to nature and to the primary use of wild species. I want buffalo roaming wild, abundant native prairie, and wolves, cougars, and bears restored to their native range over 50% of the land. This is economically feasible, but it is only possible with Jury Democracy for reasons explained at McTavish4MN.org.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Hugh_McTavish.jpg

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance of Minnesota)

I am most passionate about Jury Democracy. It is easily the greatest invention of my life and the most important thing I will ever do. It will totally transform the way we do government. It will give real power to all of us, to ordinary people. It will give perfect proportional representation. The poor and middle class will have real power and representation. Young people, minorities, and women will all have power and representation proportional to their numbers—all without quotas or affirmative action. It will unite us and calm our divisions. When you deliberate with other jurors with different life experiences, you will find that you learn from each other, like each other, and agree far more than we have been told. And it will be making policy based on evidence, reason, and civil discourse, instead of money, influence, and division. In addition to happiness and the environment, I am passionate in my opposition to the COVID lockdown response. This was one of the worst public policy disasters in history—it destroyed education and childhood for 2 years, threw 1 in 5 of us into major depression, threw 16% of workers out of their jobs, took small businesses from their owners without compensation, massively infringed our liberty, and created a crime wave, all without having any apparent effect on COVID cases or deaths.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Hugh_McTavish.jpg

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance of Minnesota)

Martin Luther King, Jr., is my greatest hero. I admire most all those in history who have had the courage to stand up for what they believed to be right and suffer consequences for it, including Martin Luther, Rachel Carson, Medgar Evers, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela. My favorite writer and philosopher is Henry David Thoreau.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Hugh_McTavish.jpg

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance of Minnesota)

I am a problem solver and an independent, outside-the-box creative thinker. I have done that throughout my life. I invented a way to harness the green plant photosynthetic system to harvest renewable energy and invented new drugs for cancer and cold sores by outside-the-box thinking. That quality has served me with my invention of Jury Democracy. It solves the problems of division in our society and government; governmental paralysis; corruption and the problem of influence and campaign finance controlling our government; and strict limits on what is acceptable to debate made by the elites, media, tech giants, and moneyed interests. All sides will have access and the ability to get a hearing for their ideas. Then the ideas will be judged on the merits based on evidence and reasoning. And they will be judged by all of us, talking with each other after being fully informed in a fair hearing. In addition to being an independent thinker, I am good at fairly evaluating evidence and not believing what I am told just because it comes from those in power. I learned that as a scientist. You evaluate ideas based on data and evidence, not who says them. That served me to realize what a disaster the COVID lockdowns would be and have been. The media and elites told us "we had no choice" and the lockdowns saved many lives. Of course we always have a choice, so that part is nonsense. And the media and government did not apparently consider the possibility that the lockdowns would kill people by driving up suicides and deaths of despair, as well as murders and cancer deaths. But I could see that possibility and wrote that it was certain to happen and likely that the time of life lost from those we effectively decided to kill by driving up deaths of despair and other deaths would exceed the time of life saved in prevented COVID deaths. Data shows I was right.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Hugh_McTavish.jpg

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance of Minnesota)

Jury Democracy. I hope people remember me as the father of Jury Democracy. It is not important whether I am remembered, but I would like to see Jury Democracy be implemented and spread around the world.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Hugh_McTavish.jpg

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance of Minnesota)

I think Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong landing on the moon. I was 7 at the time.
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Hugh_McTavish.jpg

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance of Minnesota)

I worked in a veterinary clinic and literally shoveled poop and loved it. I had it for a year or two.



Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Democratic Party Tim Walz

August 9, 2022
August 5, 2022
August 3, 2022

View more ads here:


Republican Party Scott Jensen

August 12, 2022
August 8, 2022

View more ads here:


Debates and forums

This section includes links to debates, forums, and other similar events where multiple candidates in this race participated. If you are aware of any debates or forums that should be included, please email us.

August 3 debate

On August 3, 2022, Jensen and Walz participated in a debate at Farmfest near Redwood Falls, Minnesota.[13]

Click on the link below for a summary of the event:

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals.[14] The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times."[15] For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.

Below we provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. Click here to read about FiveThirtyEight's criteria for including polls in its aggregation. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval.


Minnesota gubernatorial election, 2022: general election polls
Poll Date Democratic Party Walz Republican Party Jensen Undecided/
Other
Margin of error Sample size[16] Sponsor[17]
The Trafalgar Group September 16-18, 2022 48 % 45 % 7 %[18] +/- 2.9 1,079 LV Alpha News
Mason Dixon Polling and Strategy September 12-14, 2022 48 % 41 % 11 %[19] +/- 3.5 800 LV MPR News/Star Tribune/KARE 11
Survey USA Aug. 30 - Sept. 4, 2022 51 % 33 % 16 %[20] +/- 4.9 562 LV KSTP


General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[21]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[22][23][24]

Race ratings: Minnesota gubernatorial election, 2022
Race trackerRace ratings
November 8, 2022November 1, 2022October 25, 2022October 18, 2022
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesLean DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely DemocraticLikely Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Noteworthy endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.


Noteworthy endorsements
Endorser Democratic Party Tim Walz Republican Party Scott Jensen
Government officials
Vice President Kamala D. Harris (D)  source  
U.S. President Barack Obama (D)  source  
Frmr. Gov. Jesse Ventura  source  
Individuals
Frmr. President Donald Trump  source  

Election spending

Campaign finance

General election

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[25][26][27]

If available, links to satellite spending reports by the Federal Election Commission and OpenSecrets.org are linked below. Any satellite spending reported in other resources is displayed in a table. This table may not represent the actual total amount spent by satellite groups in the election. Satellite spending for which specific amounts, dates, or purposes are not reported are marked "N/A." To help us complete this information, or to notify us of additional satellite spending, email us.

By candidate

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
  • Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
  • State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
  • Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

See also: Presidential voting trends in Minnesota and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Minnesota, 2022
District Incumbent Party PVI
Minnesota's 1st Vacant Ends.png Republican R+7
Minnesota's 2nd Angie Craig Electiondot.png Democratic D+1
Minnesota's 3rd Dean Phillips Electiondot.png Democratic D+8
Minnesota's 4th Betty McCollum Electiondot.png Democratic D+17
Minnesota's 5th Ilhan Omar Electiondot.png Democratic D+30
Minnesota's 6th Tom Emmer Ends.png Republican R+12
Minnesota's 7th Michelle Fischbach Ends.png Republican R+19
Minnesota's 8th Pete Stauber Ends.png Republican R+8


2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Minnesota[28]
District Joe Biden Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
Minnesota's 1st 44.3% 53.5%
Minnesota's 2nd 52.5% 45.4%
Minnesota's 3rd 59.5% 38.5%
Minnesota's 4th 67.8% 30.2%
Minnesota's 5th 80.6% 17.4%
Minnesota's 6th 40.1% 57.7%
Minnesota's 7th 32.5% 65.7%
Minnesota's 8th 43.4% 54.7%


2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:


Following the 2020 presidential election, 51.8% of Minnesotans lived in one of the state's nine Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 38.6% lived in one of 59 Solid Republican counties. Overall, Minnesota was Solid Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Minnesota following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Historical voting trends

Minnesota presidential election results (1900-2020)

  • 20 Democratic wins
  • 10 Republican wins
  • 1 other win
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Winning Party R R R P[29] R R R R D D D D D R R D D D R D D D D D D D D D D D D

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Minnesota

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Minnesota.

U.S. Senate election results in Minnesota
Race Winner Runner up
2020 48.8%Democratic Party 43.5%Republican Party
2018 53.0%Democratic Party 42.4%Republican Party
2018 60.3%Democratic Party 36.2%Republican Party
2014 53.2%Democratic Party 42.9%Republican Party
2012 65.2%Democratic Party 30.6%Republican Party
Average 56.1 39.1

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Minnesota

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Minnesota.

Gubernatorial election results in Minnesota
Race Winner Runner up
2018 53.8%Democratic Party 42.4%Republican Party
2014 50.1%Democratic Party 44.5%Republican Party
2010 43.6%Democratic Party 43.2%Republican Party
2006 46.7%Republican Party 45.7%Democratic Party
2002 44.4%Republican Party 36.5%Democratic Party
Average 47.7 42.5

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Minnesota's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Minnesota, November 2022
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 4 6
Republican 0 4 4
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 8 10

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Minnesota's top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Minnesota, November 2022
Office Officeholder
Governor Democratic Party Tim Walz
Lieutenant Governor Democratic Party Peggy Flanagan
Secretary of State Democratic Party Steve Simon
Attorney General Democratic Party Keith Ellison

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Minnesota State Legislature as of November 2022.

Minnesota State Senate

Party As of November 2022
     Democratic Party 31
     Republican Party 34
     Independent 1
     Vacancies 1
Total 67

Minnesota House of Representatives

Party As of November 2022
     Democratic Party 69
     Republican Party 63
     Independent 1
     Vacancies 1
Total 134

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Minnesota was a divided government, with Democrats controlling the governorship and a majority in the house and Republicans controlling a majority in the state senate. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Minnesota Party Control: 1992-2022
Two years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

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 20 21 22
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 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 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 D D D

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Minnesota and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for Minnesota
Minnesota United States
Population 5,706,494 331,449,281
Land area (sq mi) 79,631 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White 81.6% 70.4%
Black/African American 6.4% 12.6%
Asian 4.9% 5.6%
Native American 1% 0.8%
Pacific Islander 0% 0.2%
Two or more 3.9% 5.2%
Hispanic/Latino 5.5% 18.2%
Education
High school graduation rate 93.4% 88.5%
College graduation rate 36.8% 32.9%
Income
Median household income $73,382 $64,994
Persons below poverty level 9.3% 12.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


Election context

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Minnesota in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Minnesota, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source Notes
Minnesota Governor Democratic or Republican 2,000 $300.00 5/31/2022 Source Petition signatures only required in lieu of filing fee.
Minnesota Governor Unaffiliated 2,000 N/A 5/31/2022 Source

Election history

2018

See also: Minnesota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018
Governor

General election

General election for Governor of Minnesota

Tim Walz defeated Jeff Johnson, Chris Wright, and Josh Welter in the general election for Governor of Minnesota on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tim Walz
Tim Walz (D)
 
53.8
 
1,393,096
Image of Jeff Johnson
Jeff Johnson (R)
 
42.4
 
1,097,705
Image of Chris Wright
Chris Wright (Grassroots Party)
 
2.7
 
68,667
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Josh Welter (L)
 
1.0
 
26,735
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
1,084

Total votes: 2,587,287
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota

Tim Walz defeated Erin Murphy, Lori Swanson, Tim Holden, and Ole Savior in the Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tim Walz
Tim Walz
 
41.6
 
242,832
Image of Erin Murphy
Erin Murphy
 
32.0
 
186,969
Image of Lori Swanson
Lori Swanson
 
24.6
 
143,517
Image of Tim Holden
Tim Holden
 
1.1
 
6,398
Image of Ole Savior
Ole Savior
 
0.7
 
4,019

Total votes: 583,735
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota

Jeff Johnson defeated Tim Pawlenty and Matt Kruse in the Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jeff Johnson
Jeff Johnson
 
52.6
 
168,841
Image of Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
 
43.9
 
140,743
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Matt Kruse
 
3.5
 
11,330

Total votes: 320,914
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Lieutenant governor

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota

Peggy Flanagan defeated Donna Bergstrom, Judith Schwartzbacker, and Mary O'Connor in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Peggy Flanagan
Peggy Flanagan (D)
 
53.8
 
1,393,096
Image of Donna Bergstrom
Donna Bergstrom (R)
 
42.4
 
1,097,705
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Judith Schwartzbacker (Grassroots Party)
 
2.7
 
68,667
Image of Mary O'Connor
Mary O'Connor (L)
 
1.0
 
26,735
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
1,084

Total votes: 2,587,287
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota

Peggy Flanagan defeated Erin Maye Quade, Rick Nolan, James Mellin II, and Chris Edman in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Peggy Flanagan
Peggy Flanagan
 
41.6
 
242,832
Image of Erin Maye Quade
Erin Maye Quade
 
32.0
 
186,969
Image of Rick Nolan
Rick Nolan
 
24.6
 
143,517
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
James Mellin II
 
1.1
 
6,398
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Chris Edman
 
0.7
 
4,019

Total votes: 583,735
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota

Donna Bergstrom defeated incumbent Michelle Fischbach and Theresa Loeffler in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Donna Bergstrom
Donna Bergstrom
 
52.6
 
168,841
Image of Michelle Fischbach
Michelle Fischbach
 
43.9
 
140,743
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Theresa Loeffler
 
3.5
 
11,330

Total votes: 320,914
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: Minnesota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014
Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngMark Dayton/Tina Smith Incumbent 50.1% 989,113
     Republican Jeff Johnson/Bill Kuisle 44.5% 879,257
     Independence Hannah Nicollet/Tim Gieseke 2.9% 56,900
     Grassroots Party Chris Wright/David Daniels 1.6% 31,259
     Libertarian Chris Holbrook/Chris Dock 0.9% 18,082
     Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.1% 1,134
Total Votes 1,975,745
Election results via Minnesota Secretary of State


2022 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This election was a battleground race. Other 2022 battleground elections included:

See also

Minnesota State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes

  1. State of Minnesota, Office of Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, "Governor Tim Walz," accessed August 18, 2022
  2. Walz-Flanagan, "Accomplishments," accessed August 18, 2022
  3. Dr. Scott Jensen for Governor, "Issues," accessed August 18, 2022
  4. Dr. Scott Jensen for Governor, "Home," accessed September 23, 2022
  5. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, "Gubernatorial Ratings," February 19, 2021
  6. Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, "Tim Walz for Governor-2022 Pre-General Report," accessed November 1, 2022
  7. Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, "Dr. Scott Jensen for Governor-2022 Pre-General Report," accessed November 1, 2022
  8. The Trafalgar Group, "Minnesota Statewide General Election Survey - September 2022," September 18, 2022
  9. MPR News, "Poll: Walz up 7 over Jensen in governor’s race," September 17, 2022
  10. KSTP, "KSTP/SurveyUSA poll: Walz expands lead over Jensen to double digits," September 6, 2022
  11. KSTP.com, "Walz, Jensen tangle on budget surplus, public safety during first debate," August 3, 2022
  12. Twin Cities.com, "Scott Jensen picks ex-Viking Matt Birk as running mate in campaign for governor," March 8, 2022
  13. KSTP.com, "Walz, Jensen tangle on budget surplus, public safety during first debate," August 3, 2022
  14. For more information on the difference between margins of error and credibility intervals, see explanations from the American Association for Public Opinion Research and Ipsos.
  15. Pew Research Center, "5 key things to know about the margin of error in election polls," September 8, 2016
  16. RV=Registered Voters
    LV=Likely Voters
  17. The sponsor is the person or group that funded all or part of the poll.
  18. 5% Undecided
    2% Other candidates
  19. 10% Undecided
    1% Other
  20. 12% Undecided
    4% Other
  21. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  22. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  23. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  24. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  25. OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
  26. OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
  27. National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
  28. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022
  29. Progressive Party