The 2006 congressional elections in Minnesota were held on November 7, 2006, to determine who would represent the state of Minnesota in the United States House of Representatives.
Minnesota had eight seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 110th Congress from January 3, 2007, until January 3, 2009. The election coincided with the Senate election and the gubernatorial election.
Results of the 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota by district:
Incumbent Republican Gil Gutknecht, who had represented the district since 1995, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 59.6% of the vote in 2004 and the district had a PVI of R+1.
Walz accused Gutknecht of extending tax cuts to "Wall Street" and sought to tie Gutknecht to the unpopular President George W. Bush. A centerpiece of Walz's campaign was his opposition to the Iraq War, as the war's popularity was on the decline.
Walz upset Gutknecht by a margin of 5.6%. After his defeat, Gutknecht admitted to Politico that he had been caught "off guard" by Walz.
This district spans the width of the entire southern metro area and contains all of Carver, Scott, Le Sueur, Goodhue and Rice Counties and most of Dakota County. Incumbent Republican John Kline, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 56.4% of the vote in 2004. The district had a PVI of R+3.
In May 2005, Rowley announced that she was considering running against incumbent Kline. At the time of her announcement, she had been living in Apple Valley, Minnesota, for 15 years and had formerly voted and identified as a Republican, but on June 27, she announced that she was entering the race as a DFLer, and on July 6 officially kicked off her campaign at her home. On August 18, Rowley attended a vigil in Crawford, Texas, outside President George W. Bush's ranch requesting that the president meet with Cindy Sheehan to answer Sheehan's questions about the War in Iraq and the death of Sheehan's son, Casey.
On January 3, 2006, an unauthorized professionally retouched image appeared on Rowley's campaign website, depicting Kline, a retired Marine Corps colonel, as Colonel Klink from Hogan's Heroes. Kline objected to the photo and the Rowley campaign removed the image the same day and initiated an investigation. Rowley quickly apologized.
The Rowley campaign found financing difficult, as opposing an incumbent conservative such as Kline in a conservative district, despite the national environment favouring the Democrats, did not attract money from the most robust Democratic resources, such as the DNC. Ultimately Kline's campaign achieved a 2âÂÂ1 advantage in raising funds.
This conservative district encompassed the northern, western, and southern suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Paul in Hennepin County and Anoka County. Incumbent Republican Jim Ramstad, who had represented the district since 1991, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 64.6% of the vote in 2004 and the district had a PVI of Even.
This district covers most of Ramsey County including all of Saint Paul and several Saint Paul suburbs. Incumbent Democrat Betty McCollum, who had represented the district since 2001, ran for re-election. She was re-elected with 57.5% of the vote in 2004 and the district had a PVI of D+13.
This district covers eastern Hennepin County, including the entire city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, along with parts of Anoka and Ramsey counties. Incumbent Democrat Martin Olav Sabo, who had represented the district since 1979, decided to retire, creating an open seat. He was re-elected with 69.7% of the vote in 2004 and the district had a PVI of D+21.
Despite a surprisingly strong performance by Lee, Ellison emerged victorious, and became the first African-American Congressman from Minnesota and the first Muslim in Congress.
This district includes most or all of Benton, Sherburne, Stearns, Wright, Anoka, and Washington counties. Incumbent Republican Mark Kennedy, who had represented the district since 2001, declined to seek a fourth term in Congress, instead opting to run for Senate in the wake of then-Senator Mark Dayton's retirement. Kennedy was re-elected with 54.0% of the vote in 2004 and the district had a PVI of R+5.
Patty Wetterling who had run a competitive race in 2004 initially opted to run the vacant Senate seat before dropping out and switching to running for the 6th again.
During the campaign, Wetterling attacked Bachmann for voting against increased restrictions on sex offenders, while Bachmann accused Wetterling of wanting to negotiate with terrorists, charges each denied.
Despite polling that indicated that the race would be close, and although this was the most expensive House race in Minnesota, Bachmann defeated Wetterling by a large margin, with Binkowski receiving about 8%.
Incumbent Democrat Collin Peterson, who had represented the district since 1991, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 66.1% of the vote in 2004 and the district had a PVI of R+6. This conservative, rural district based in western Minnesota tended to vote for Republicans at the national level, however Peterson had been able to hold on to his seat with ease since his first election in 1990.
This district covers the northeastern part of Minnesota and includes Duluth, Hibbing, and the Mesabi Range. Incumbent Democrat Jim Oberstar, who had represented the district since 1975, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 65.2% of the vote in 2004 and the district had a PVI of D+4.
Oberstar sought a 17th term and faced former United States Senator Rod Grams, who lived outside the district and had represented the 6th district in Congress twelve years earlier.
Despite Grams's high stature and name recognition, he posed no serious threat to Oberstar, who was re-elected in a landslide.