2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota

The 2010 Minnesota U.S. House of Representatives elections took place on November 2, 2010. All eight congressional seats in the state's delegation were contested. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 112th United States Congress from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013.

2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota

← 2008 November 2, 2010 (2010-11-02) 2012 →
All 8 Minnesota seats to the United States House of Representatives
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Last election 5 seats, 57.53% 3 seats, 38.14% Seats before 5 3 Seats won 4 4 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 1,002,026 970,741 Percentage 47.93% 46.43% Swing 9.60% 8.29%
Democratic   Hold Republican   Hold   Gain Party gains Democratic   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% Republican   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% District results Democratic   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% Republican   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% County results

Map of Minnesota showing all eight districts

The 2010 Minnesota gubernatorial, 2010 Minnesota House elections and 2010 Minnesota Senate elections occurred on the same date, as well as many local elections and ballot initiatives.

The 111th congressional delegation from the U.S. state of Minnesota had five Democratic Farmer Labor Party members (DFLers) and 3 Republicans. All the incumbents were reelected except District 8's Jim Oberstar, who was defeated in his bid for a 19th term. This left Minnesota with an equal number of Democratic and Republican representatives.

Overview

The table below shows the total number and percentage of votes, as well as the number of seats gained and lost by each political party in the election for the United States House of Representatives in Minnesota.

Party		Candidates	Votes		Seats
			No.	%	No.	+/–	%
	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	8	1,002,026	47.93	4	1	50.00
	Republican	8	970,741	46.43	4	1	50.00
	Independence	7	84,816	4.05	0		0.0
	Independent	5	23,387	1.12	0		0.0
	Constitution	1	2,492	0.11	0		0.0
	Write-in	8	1,639	0.08	0		0.0
Total		37	2,090,591	100.0	8		100.0

Popular vote Democratic   47.93% Republican   46.43% Independence   4.05% Constitution   0.11% Other   1.45%

House seats Democratic   50.00% Republican   50.00%

By district

Results of the 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota by district:^[1]

District	Democratic		Republican		Others		Total		Result
	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
District 1	122,365	49.34%	109,242	44.05%	16,398	6.61%	248,005	100.0%	Democratic hold
District 2	104,809	36.59%	181,341	63.30%	303	0.11%	286,453	100.0%	Republican hold
District 3	100,240	36.57%	161,177	58.80%	12,675	4.62%	274,092	100.0%	Republican hold
District 4	136,746	59.09%	80,141	34.63%	14,539	6.28%	231,426	100.0%	Democratic hold
District 5	154,833	67.69%	55,222	24.14%	18,691	8.17%	228,746	100.0%	Democratic hold
District 6	120,846	39.79%	159,476	52.51%	23,369	7.70%	303,691	100.0%	Republican hold
District 7	133,096	55.20%	90,652	37.60%	17,349	7.20%	241,097	100.0%	Democratic hold
District 8	129,091	46.59%	133,490	48.18%	14,500	5.23%	277,081	100.0%	Republican gain
Total	1,002,026	47.93%	970,741	46.43%	117,824	5.64%	2,090,591	100.0%

District 1

2010 Minnesota's 1st congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee Tim Walz Randy Demmer Steve Wilson Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Independence Popular vote 122,365 109,242 13,242 Percentage 49.3% 44.1% 5.3%

Precinct results Walz:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Demmer:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Tie:      40–50%      50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Tim Walz Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Tim Walz Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 1st congressional district

Incumbent Democrat Tim Walz, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for reelection.^[2] He was reelected with 62.5% of the vote in 2008. The district had a PVI of R+1.

No primary elections were held in the 1st congressional district in 2010.^[3]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Tim Walz, incumbent U.S. Representative^[4]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Randy Demmer, state representative and candidate for this seat in 2008^[5][6]

Withdrawn

• Jim Engstrand, Minnesota Army National Guard Lieutenant Colonel and Iraq veteran^[7]
• Jim Hagedorn, former congressional affairs officer for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and son of former U.S. Representative Tom Hagedorn^[8][9]
• Frank McKinzie, veteran
• Allen Quist, former state representative and candidate for governor in 1994 & 1998^[10]

Campaign

Shortly after launching his campaign, Quist attracted controversy for a speech he gave at the Wabasha County Republicans' December 7 Christmas Party, in which he said: "Our country is being destroyed. Every generation has had to fight the fight for freedom… Terrorism? Yes. That's not the big battle. The big battle is in D.C. with the radicals. They aren't liberals. They are radicals. Obama, Pelosi, Walz: they’re not liberals, they're radicals. They are destroying our country."^[11] He also spoke against the Affordable Health Care for America Act, saying: "This is the most insidious, evil piece of legislation I have ever seen in my life… Every one of us has to be totally committed to killing this travesty… I have to kill this bill."^[11]

Independence primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Steve Wilson, state department diplomat and former Republican candidate for state senator in 2006^[12]

Independents

• Lars Johnson, food safety certification trainer

General election

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tim Walz (DFL)	Randy Demmer (R)	Steven Wilson (IP)	Lars Johnson (I)	Undecided
Survey USA[13]	October 22–26, 2010	558 (LV)	±4.2%	50%	41%	4%	2%	4%
Grove Insight (D)[14]	October 18–19, 2010	400 (LV)	±4.9%	50%	34%	5%		13%
Survey USA[15]	October 12–14, 2010	584 (LV)	±4.1%	47%	42%	4%	2%	5%

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[16]	Lean D	November 1, 2010
Rothenberg[17]	Likely D	November 1, 2010
Sabato's Crystal Ball[18]	Lean D	November 1, 2010
RCP[19]	Lean D	November 1, 2010
CQ Politics[20]	Lean D	October 28, 2010
New York Times[21]	Lean D	November 1, 2010
FiveThirtyEight[21]	Likely D	November 1, 2010

Results

Walz won the general election on November 2 with 49% of the vote to Demmer's 44%.^[22]

Minnesota's 1st Congressional district election, 2010 ^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Tim Walz (Incumbent)	122,365	49.3
	Republican	Randy Demmer	109,242	44.1
	Independence	Steve Wilson	13,242	5.3
	Party Free	Lars Johnson	3,054	1.2
	Write-in		102	0.0
Total votes			248,005	100.0
	Democratic (DFL) hold

External links

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets
• Race Profile at The New York Times

District 2

2010 Minnesota's 2nd congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee John Kline Shelley Madore Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 181,341 104,809 Percentage 63.3% 36.6%

Precinct results Kline:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Madore:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election John Kline Republican Elected U.S. Representative John Kline Republican

See also: Minnesota's 2nd congressional district

Incumbent Republican John Kline, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for reelection. He was reelected with 57.3% of the vote in 2008. The district had a PVI of R+4.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• John Kline, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Kline (Incumbent)	16,151	100.0
Total votes			16,151	100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Shelley Madore, former state representative

Eliminated in primary

• Dan Powers, construction contractor and candidate for this seat in 2008^[24]

Campaign

Despite losing the DFL endorsement to Powers, Madore remained in the race, much to the anger of a number of party loyalists.^[25] She was boosted by questions about Powers's résumé.^[26]

Results

Democratic Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Shelley Madore	19,990	54.7
	Democratic (DFL)	Dan Powers	16,528	45.3
Total votes			36,518	100.0

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[16]	Safe R	November 1, 2010
Rothenberg[17]	Safe R	November 1, 2010
Sabato's Crystal Ball[18]	Safe R	November 1, 2010
RCP[19]	Safe R	November 1, 2010
CQ Politics[20]	Safe R	October 28, 2010
New York Times[21]	Safe R	November 1, 2010
FiveThirtyEight[21]	Safe R	November 1, 2010

Results

Kline won the general election on November 2, 63% to 37%.

Minnesota's 2nd Congressional district election, 2010 ^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Kline (Incumbent)	181,341	63.3
	Democratic (DFL)	Shelley Madore	104,809	36.6
	Write-in		303	0.1
Total votes			286,453	100.0
	Republican hold

External links

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets
• Race Profile at The New York Times

District 3

2010 Minnesota's 3rd congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee Erik Paulsen Jim Meffert Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 161,177 100,240 Percentage 58.8% 36.6%

Precinct results Paulsen:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Meffert:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. Representative before election Erik Paulsen Republican Elected U.S. Representative Erik Paulsen Republican

See also: Minnesota's 3rd congressional district

Incumbent Republican Erik Paulsen, who had represented the district since 2009, ran for reelection. He was elected with 48.5% of the vote in 2008. The district had a PVI of Even.

No primary elections were held in the 3rd congressional district in 2010.^[3]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Erik Paulsen, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jim Meffert, former President of the Minnesota Parent-Teacher Association^[27]

Withdrawn

• Maureen Hackett, Air Force veteran and forensic psychiatrist^[28]

Declined

• Terri Bonoff, state senator and candidate for this seat in 2008^[29][30]

General election

Campaign

Meffert lacked the funds to afford television advertising, but he gained some name recognition from the Paulsen campaign's attack ads.^[31][32][33] Political analyst David Schultz said, "Given how little money that Meffert has, you would've thought Paulsen would've just ignored Meffert completely and just run a positive campaign." Meffert responded to the attack: "It's the kind of thing that makes people cynical about politics and politicians when you hide behind a big bank account and you throw up an ad that's designed to tear down your opponent."^[34] After the Paulsen campaign included a misleading graph in a mailing, Meffert filed an ethics complaint against Paulsen.^[35][36]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[16]	Safe R	November 1, 2010
Rothenberg[17]	Safe R	November 1, 2010
Sabato's Crystal Ball[18]	Safe R	November 1, 2010
RCP[19]	Safe R	November 1, 2010
CQ Politics[20]	Safe R	October 28, 2010
New York Times[21]	Safe R	November 1, 2010
FiveThirtyEight[21]	Safe R	November 1, 2010

Results

Paulsen won the general election on November 2, 59% to 37%.

Minnesota's 3rd Congressional district election, 2010 ^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Erik Paulsen (Incumbent)	161,177	58.8
	Democratic (DFL)	Jim Meffert	100,240	36.6
	Independence	Jon Olseon	12,508	4.6
	Write-in		167	0.1
Total votes			274,092	100.0
	Republican hold

External links

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets
• Race Profile at The New York Times

District 4

2010 Minnesota's 4th congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee Betty McCollum Teresa Collett Steve Carlson Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Independence Popular vote 136,746 80,141 14,207 Percentage 59.1% 34.6% 6.1%

Precinct results McCollum:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Collett:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. Representative before election Betty McCollum Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Betty McCollum Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 4th congressional district

Incumbent Betty McCollum, who had represented the district since 2001, ran for reelection. She was reelected with 68.4% of the vote in 2008. The district had a PVI of D+13.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Betty McCollum, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Diana Longrie, attorney and former Mayor of Maplewood

Results

Democratic Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Betty McCollum (Incumbent)	55,491	86.6
	Democratic (DFL)	Diana Longrie	8,622	13.4
Total votes			64,113	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Teresa Collett, law professor at the University of St. Thomas

Eliminated in primary

• Jack Shepard, fugitive, alleged arsonist, and former Minneapolis dentist who fled the country after allegedly attempting to burn down his dental office^[37]

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Teresa Collett	6,949	67.2
	Republican	Jack Shepard	3,392	32.8
Total votes			10,341	100.0

Independence primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Steve Carlson, consultant and writer

Results

Independence Party Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independence	Steve Carlson	1,550	100.0
Total votes			1,550	100.0

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[16]	Safe D	November 1, 2010
Rothenberg[17]	Safe D	November 1, 2010
Sabato's Crystal Ball[18]	Safe D	November 1, 2010
RCP[19]	Safe D	November 1, 2010
CQ Politics[20]	Safe D	October 28, 2010
New York Times[21]	Safe D	November 1, 2010
FiveThirtyEight[21]	Safe D	November 1, 2010

Results

McCollum won the general election on November 2, 59% to 35%.

Minnesota's 4th Congressional district election, 2010 ^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Betty McCollum (Incumbent)	136,746	59.1
	Republican	Teresa Collett	80,141	34.6
	Independence	Steve Carlson	14,207	6.1
	Write-in		332	0.1
Total votes			231,426	100.0
	Democratic (DFL) hold

External links

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets
• Race Profile at The New York Times

District 5

2010 Minnesota's 5th congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee Keith Ellison Joel Demos Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 154,833 55,222 Percentage 67.7% 24.1%

Precinct results Ellison:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Demos:      50–60% Tie:      40–50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Keith Ellison Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Keith Ellison Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 5th congressional district

Incumbent Keith Ellison, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for reelection. Ellison is the first Muslim to be elected to Congress. He was reelected with 67.7% of the vote in 2008. The district had a PVI of D+23.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Keith Ellison, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Gregg A. Iverson
• Barb Davis White, minister, author, and civil rights activist

Results

Democratic Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Keith Ellison (Incumbent)	55,424	81.6
	Democratic (DFL)	Barb Davis White	7,963	11.7
	Democratic (DFL)	Gregg A. Iverson	4,575	6.7
Total votes			67,962	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Joel Demos, banker

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joel Demos	4,975	100.0
Total votes			4,975	100.0

Independence primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Tom Schrunk

Results

Independence Party Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independence	Tom Schrunk	1,202	100.0
Total votes			1,202	100.0

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[16]	Safe D	November 1, 2010
Rothenberg[17]	Safe D	November 1, 2010
Sabato's Crystal Ball[18]	Safe D	November 1, 2010
RCP[19]	Safe D	November 1, 2010
CQ Politics[20]	Safe D	October 28, 2010
New York Times[21]	Safe D	November 1, 2010
FiveThirtyEight[21]	Safe D	November 1, 2010

Results

Ellison won the general election on November 2, 68% to 24%.

Minnesota's 5th Congressional district election, 2010 ^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Keith Ellison (Incumbent)	154,833	67.7
	Republican	Joel Demos	55,222	24.1
	Independent	Lynne Torgerson	8,548	3.7
	Independence	Tom Schrunk	7,446	3.3
	Independent	Michael James Cavlan	2,468	1.1
	Write-in		229	0.1
Total votes			228,746	100.0
	Democratic (DFL) hold

External links

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets
• Race Profile at The New York Times

District 6

2010 Minnesota's 6th congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee Michele Bachmann Tarryl Clark Bob Anderson Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Independence Popular vote 159,476 120,846 17,698 Percentage 52.5% 39.8% 5.8%

Precinct results Bachmann:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      >90% Clark:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Tie:      40–50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Michele Bachmann Republican Elected U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann Republican

See also: Minnesota's 6th congressional district

Incumbent Republican Michele Bachmann, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for reelection.^[38][39] She was reelected with 46.4% of the vote in 2008. The district had a PVI of R+7.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Michele Bachmann, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Michele Bachmann (Incumbent)	17,237	100.0
Total votes			17,237	100.0

Democratic primary

The DFL endorsed Tarryl Clark, the state senate assistant majority leader. She was Bachmann's sole Democratic challenger, Maureen Reed having dropped out of the race in June. A physician and former University of Minnesota regent chair, Reed threw her support behind Clark, saying she felt "it is time for the DFL to unify behind one candidate in this race".^[40][41][42]

Candidates

Nominee

• Tarryl Clark, state senator and assistant majority leader of the Minnesota State Senate

Eliminated in primary

• Maureen Kennedy Reed, physician and chair of the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota

Withdrawn

• Elwyn Tinklenberg, former Minnesota Commissioner of Transportation and nominee for this seat in 2008^[43]

Results

Democratic Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Tarryl Clark	28,185	69.1
	Democratic (DFL)	Maureen Kennedy Reed	12,603	30.9
Total votes			40,788	100.0

Independence primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Bob Anderson, dental technician

Results

Independence Party Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independence	Bob Anderson	1,418	100.0
Total votes			1,418	100.0

General election

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Michele Bachmann (R)	Tarryl Clark (DFL)	Bob Anderson (IP)	Aubrey Immelsman (I)	Undecided
Survey USA[44]	September 15, 2010	582 (LV)	±4.1%	49%	40%	6%	1%	4%
Survey USA[45]	July 9–11, 2010	565 (LV)	±4.2%	48%	39%	6%	2%	5%
Public Policy Polling[46]	December 17–20, 2009	719 (RV)	±3.7%	55%	37%	–	–	8%

Hypothetical polling

Bachmann vs. Reed

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Michele Bachmann (R)	Maureen Reed (R)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling[46]	December 17–20, 2009	719 (RV)	±3.7%	53%	37%	10%

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[16]	Likely R	November 1, 2010
Rothenberg[17]	Safe R	November 1, 2010
Sabato's Crystal Ball[18]	Likely R	November 1, 2010
RCP[19]	Likely R	November 1, 2010
CQ Politics[20]	Safe R	October 28, 2010
New York Times[21]	Lean R	November 1, 2010
FiveThirtyEight[21]	Safe R	November 1, 2010

Results

Bachmann won the general election on November 2, 52% to 38%.^[47][48]

Minnesota's 6th Congressional district election, 2010 ^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Michele Bachmann (Incumbent)	159,476	52.5
	Democratic (DFL)	Tarryl Clark	120,846	39.8
	Independence	Bob Anderson	17,698	5.8
	Independent	Aubrey Immelsman	5,490	1.8
	Write-in		181	0.1
Total votes			303,691	100.0
	Republican hold

External links

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets
• Race Profile at The New York Times

District 7

2010 Minnesota's 7th congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee Collin Peterson Lee Byberg Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 133,096 90,652 Percentage 55.2% 37.6%

Precinct results Peterson:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Byberg:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Tie:      40–50%      50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Collin Peterson Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Collin Peterson Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 7th congressional district

Incumbent Collin Peterson, who had represented the district since 1991, ran for reelection. He was reelected with 72.2% of the vote in 2008. The district had a PVI of R+5.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Collin Peterson, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Democratic Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Collin Peterson (Incumbent)	42,104	100.0
Total votes			42,104	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Lee Byberg, business executive

Eliminated in primary

• Alan Roebke, farmer and candidate for this seat in 2008^[49][50]

Withdrawn

• Glen Menze, accountant and nominee for this seat in 2008^[51]

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lee Byberg	11,417	61.0
	Republican	Alan Roebke	7,315	39.0
Total votes			18,732	100.0

Independence primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Glen R. Menze, accountant and Republican nominee for this seat in 2008

Results

Independence Party Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independence	Glen R. Menze	2,242	100.0
Total votes			2,242	100.0

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[16]	Safe D	November 1, 2010
Rothenberg[17]	Safe D	November 1, 2010
Sabato's Crystal Ball[18]	Safe D	November 1, 2010
RCP[19]	Likely D	November 1, 2010
CQ Politics[20]	Safe D	October 28, 2010
New York Times[21]	Safe D	November 1, 2010
FiveThirtyEight[21]	Safe D	November 1, 2010

Results

Peterson won the general election on November 2, 55% to 38%.

Minnesota's 7th Congressional district election, 2010^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Collin Peterson (Incumbent)	133,096	55.2
	Republican	Lee Byberg	90,652	37.6
	Independent	Gene Waldorf	9,317	3.9
	Independence	Glen R. Menze	7,839	3.3
	Write-in		193	0.1
Total votes			241,097	100.0
	Democratic (DFL) hold

External links

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets
• Race Profile at The New York Times

District 8

2010 Minnesota's 8th congressional district election

← 2008 2012 →

Nominee Chip Cravaack Jim Oberstar Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 133,490 129,091 Percentage 48.2% 46.6%

Precinct results Cravaack:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Oberstar:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Tie:      40–50%      50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Jim Oberstar Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Chip Cravaack Republican

See also: Minnesota's 8th congressional district

Incumbent Jim Oberstar, who had represented the district since 1975, ran for reelection. He was reelected with 67.7% of the vote in 2008. The district had a PVI of D+3.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• James L. Oberstar, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• W. D. (Bill) Ham, chair of the Freedom Coalition of Minnesota^[52]

Results

Democratic Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	James L. Oberstar (Incumbent)	56,510	80.5
	Democratic (DFL)	W. D. (Bill) Ham	13,710	19.5
Total votes			70,220	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Chip Cravaack, former Northwest Airlines pilot^[53]

Withdrawn

• Michael Cummins, small business owner and nominee for this seat in 2008 (withdrew February 2010 endured Cravaack^[54][55]
• Justin Eichorn, small business owner
• Rob Fransworth, special education teacher
• Darrel Trulson, business owner

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Chip Cravaack	26,608	100.0
Total votes			26,608	100.0

Independence primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Timothy Olson, sawmill operator^[52]

Results

Independence Party Primary Election ^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independence	Timothy Olson	2,515	100.0
Total votes			2,515	100.0

General election

Campaign

Cravaack entered the race as the underdog. He was a political novice and Democrats had held the 8th district since 1947. Oberstar was the longest-serving congressman in Minnesota history and had never received less than 59% of the vote.^[56]

Cravaack campaigned on a standard Republican platform of free-market principles and government spending cuts^[57] while attacking Oberstar's vote for the ACA.^[56][58]

Endorsements

Chip Cravaack (R)

U.S. Representatives

• Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House^[56]

Organizations

• Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life^[59]

Newspapers

• Duluth News Tribune^[59]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Jim Oberstar (DFL)	Chip Cravaack (R)	George Burton (C)	Undecided
Survey USA[60]	October 25–28, 2010	665 (LV)	±3.9%	47%	46%	3%	4%
Public Opinion Strategies (R)[61]	September 28–30, 2010	300 (LV)	±5.7%	45%	42%	–	13%

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[16]	Tossup	November 1, 2010
Rothenberg[17]	Likely D	November 1, 2010
Sabato's Crystal Ball[18]	Lean D	November 1, 2010
RCP[19]	Tossup	November 1, 2010
CQ Politics[20]	Likely D	October 28, 2010
New York Times[21]	Safe D	November 1, 2010
FiveThirtyEight[21]	Lean D	November 1, 2010

Results

Cravaack defeated Oberstar, 48% to 47%.^[62]

Minnesota's 8th Congressional district election, 2010 ^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Chip Cravaack	133,490	48.2
	Democratic (DFL)	Jim Oberstar (Incumbent)	129,091	46.6
	Independence	Timothy Olson	11,876	4.3
	Constitution	Richard (George) Burton	2,492	0.9
	Write-in		132	0.1
Total votes			277,081	100.0
	Republican gain from Democratic (DFL)

External links

• Race ranking and details from CQ Politics
• Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets
• Race Profile at The New York Times