The 2018 United States Senate special election in Minnesota took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a United States senator from Minnesota to replace incumbent Democratic senator Al Franken until the regular expiration of the term on January 3, 2021. Facing multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, Franken announced on December 7, 2017, that he would resign effective January 2, 2018. Governor Mark Dayton appointed Franken's successor, Tina Smith, on December 13, 2017, and she ran in the special election. This election coincided with a regularly scheduled U.S. Senate election for the Class 1 Senate seat, U.S. House elections, a gubernatorial election, State House elections, and other elections.
The candidate filing deadline was June 5, 2018, and the primary election was held on August 14, 2018. Smith won the Democratic primary and defeated Republican nominee Karin Housley in the general election.
DFL primary
Candidates
Nominated
Eliminated in primary
Declined
- Scott Dibble, state senator
- Keith Ellison, U.S. representative from (ran for attorney general)
- Melisa Franzen, state senator
- Betty McCollum, U.S. representative from (ran for re-election)
- Rick Nolan, U.S. representative from (ran for lieutenant governor)
- Collin Peterson, U.S. representative from (ran for re-election)
- Jake Sullivan, former National Security Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden
- Lori Swanson, attorney general of Minnesota (ran for governor)
- Patricia Torres Ray, state senator (ran for U.S. House)
- Tim Walz, U.S. representative from (ran for governor)
Endorsements
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominated
Eliminated in primary
- Bob Anderson, businessman
- Nikolay Nikolayevich Bey
Declined
- Sarah Anderson, Minnesota state representative
- Michele Bachmann, former U.S. representative
- Michelle Benson, state senator
- Christopher Chamberlin (ran for U.S. House)
- Norm Coleman, former U.S. senator from this seat (endorsed Housley)
- Kurt Daudt, speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives
- Tom Emmer, U.S. representative from (endorsed Housley, ran for re-election)
- Paul Gazelka, majority leader of the Minnesota Senate
- Pete Hegseth, veteran, Fox News contributor and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2012
- Amy Koch, former Minnesota state senator
- Jason Lewis, U.S. representative from (ran for re-election)
- Mike Lindell, CEO of My Pillow
- Jenifer Loon, state representative (endorsed Housley)
- Stewart Mills III, businessman and nominee for MN-08 in 2014 and 2016
- Erik Paulsen, U.S. representative from (ran for re-election)
- Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota (ran for governor)
- Joyce Peppin, majority leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives
- Julie Rosen, Minnesota state senator
Endorsements
Results
Minor parties and independents
Candidates
General election
Predictions
^Highest rating given
Endorsements
Fundraising
Polling
Results
Smith won the election by 10.62 percentage points. Her margin was similar to that of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Tim Walz, who defeated his Republican opponent by 11.41%. Both of those margins of victory were much smaller than that of senior Senator Amy Klobuchar, who on the same day defeated her Republican opponent by 24.1 points. Smith won by huge margins in the Democratic strongholds of Hennepin County and Ramsey County, home of Minneapolis and St. Paul, respectively. She also managed a 10% margin of victory in suburban Dakota County, just outside Minneapolis, and won St. Louis County, home of Duluth. Housley won most of the state's rural areas. Turnout was high for a midterm election, with over 63% of registered voters in Minnesota casting ballots.
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
By congressional district
Smith won four of Minnesota's eight congressional districts. Housley won the other four, including one that elected a Democrat.
Voter demographics
See also
Notes
References
External links
Official campaign websites