2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota

The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the eight U.S. representatives from the state of Minnesota, one from each of the state's eight congressional districts. The elections coincided with an open gubernatorial election, a U.S. Senate election, a special U.S. Senate election, State House elections, and other elections.

2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota

← 2016 November 6, 2018 (2018-11-06) 2020 →
All 8 Minnesota seats to the United States House of Representatives
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Last election 5 3 Seats won 5 3 Seat change Popular vote 1,420,748 1,125,533 Percentage 55.13% 43.68% Swing 4.90% 3.05%
Democratic   Hold   Gain Republican   Hold   Gain Party gains Democratic   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% Republican   50–60%   60–70% District results Democratic   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% Republican   50–60%   60–70% County results

In the 2018 elections, Democrats gained the 2nd and 3rd districts from Republican incumbents, and the Republicans gained the 1st and 8th districts from Democrats running for higher office, leaving party representation in Minnesota's House delegation unchanged at five members from the DFL and three members from the GOP.

Overview

Results of the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota by district:^[1]

District	DFL		Republican		Others		Total		Result
	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
District 1	144,885	49.67%	146,200	50.13%	576	0.20%	291,661	100.0%	Republican gain
District 2	177,958	52.65%	159,344	47.15%	666	0.20%	337,968	100.0%	DFL gain
District 3	202,404	55.61%	160,839	44.19%	706	0.20%	363,949	100.0%	DFL gain
District 4	216,865	65.99%	97,747	29.75%	14,002	4.26%	328,614	100.0%	DFL hold
District 5	267,703	77.97%	74,440	21.68%	1,215	0.35%	343,358	100.0%	DFL hold
District 6	122,332	38.75%	192,931	61.11%	463	0.15%	315,726	100.0%	Republican hold
District 7	146,672	52.10%	134,668	47.84%	169	0.06%	281,509	100.0%	DFL hold
District 8	141,950	45.18%	159,364	50.72%	12,897	4.10%	314,211	100.0%	Republican gain
Total	1,420,769	55.13%	1,125,533	43.68%	30,694	1.19%	2,576,996	100.0%

District 1

2018 Minnesota's 1st congressional district election

← 2016 2020 →

Nominee Jim Hagedorn Dan Feehan Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 146,199 144,884 Percentage 50.1% 49.7%

Hagedorn:      50–60%      60–70% Feehan:      50–60% County results Hagedorn:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Feehan:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      >90% Tie:      40–50%      50%      No votesPrecinct results

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

See also: Minnesota's 1st congressional district

Minnesota's 1st Congressional District extends across southern Minnesota, from the border with South Dakota to the border with Wisconsin and the state's entire border with Iowa.

Incumbent Democrat Tim Walz, who had represented the district since 2007, did not run for re-election, instead opting to run for governor. He was re-elected with 50% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of R+5.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Dan Feehan, Army veteran and former Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness^[2][3]

Eliminated in primary

• Colin "Coke" Minehart, restaurateur^[4][5]

Withdrawn

• Vicki Jensen, former state senator (endorsed Feehan)^[6]
• Joe Sullivan, clean energy advocate (endorsed Feehan)^[6]
• Rich Wright, attorney (endorsed Feehan)^[6]

Endorsements

Dan Feehan

U.S. Representatives

• Seth Moulton, U.S. Representative (D-MA)^[7]

State legislators

• Vicki Jensen, former state senator^[6]

Organizations

• End Citizens United^[8]
• Human Rights Campaign^[9]
• NARAL Pro-Choice America^[10]
• Sierra Club^[11]
• VoteVets^[12]

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Dan Feehan	39,167	83.1
	Democratic (DFL)	Colin Minehart	7,971	16.9
Total votes			47,138	100.0

Republican primary

Minnesota's 1st congressional district was listed as one of the NRCC's initial targets in 2018.^[13]

Candidates

Nominee

• Jim Hagedorn, blogger, candidate for this seat in 2010 and nominee in 2014 & 2016^[14]

Eliminated in primary

• Andrew Candler^[5]
• Carla Nelson, state senator^[15]
• Steve Williams, candidate for this seat in 2016^[5]

Endorsements

Jim Hagedorn

U.S. Executive Branch officials

• Donald Trump, president of the United States^[16]

U.S. Senators

• Rudy Boschwitz, former U.S. Senator^[17]

U.S. Representatives

• Tom Emmer, U.S. Representative^[17]
• Gil Gutknecht, former U.S. Representative^[17]
• John Kline, former U.S. Representative^[17]
• Frank Lucas, U.S. Representative^[17]
• Bill Shuster, U.S. Representative^[17]

State legislators

• Tony Cornish, state representative^[18]
• Gary Dahms, state senator^[19]
• Jeremy Munson, state representative^[20]
• Julie Rosen, state senator^[18]
• Paul Torkelson, state representative^[19]

Labor unions

• Associated Builders and Contractors^[21]

Organizations

• Family Research Council^[22]
• Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life^[23]

Carla Nelson

State legislators

• Nels Pierson, state representative^[6]

Organizations

• CatholicVote.org^[24]
• Maggie's List^[25]
• NRA Political Victory Fund^[26]
• Susan B. Anthony List^[27]

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Hagedorn	25,418	60.1
	Republican	Carla Nelson	13,589	32.2
	Republican	Steve Williams	2,145	5.1
	Republican	Andrew Candler	1,106	2.6
Total votes			42,258	100.0

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[28]	Tossup	November 5, 2018
Inside Elections[29]	Tossup	November 5, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball[30]	Lean D	November 5, 2018
RCP[31]	Tossup	November 5, 2018
Daily Kos[32]	Tossup	November 5, 2018
538[33]	Tossup	November 7, 2018

Debate & forum

2018 Minnesota's 1st congressional district debate & candidate forum

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Democratic	Republican
Key:  P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
					Dan Feehan	Jim Hagedorn
1	Oct. 12, 2018	Minnesota Public Radio	Mike Mulcahy	[34]	P	P
2	Oct. 17, 2018	Greater Mankato Growth South Central College The Free Press	Patrick Baker Steve Jameson	[35]	P	P

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Dan Feehan (D)	Jim Hagedorn (R)	Other	Undecided
SurveyUSA[36]	October 16–20, 2018	586	± 4.4%	47%	45%	–	8%
Harper Polling (R-Hagedorn)[37]	August 23–26, 2018	400	± 4.9%	33%	47%	6%	14%

Results

Minnesota's 1st congressional district, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Hagedorn	146,199	50.1
	Democratic (DFL)	Dan Feehan	144,884	49.7
	Write-in		575	0.2
Total votes			291,658	100.0
	Republican gain from Democratic (DFL)

District 2

2018 Minnesota's 2nd congressional district election

← 2016 2020 →

Nominee Angie Craig Jason Lewis Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 177,954 159,343 Percentage 52.7% 47.1%

Precinct results Craig:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Lewis:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Tie:      40–50%

U.S. Representative before election Jason Lewis Republican Elected U.S. Representative Angie Craig Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 2nd congressional district

Incumbent Republican Jason Lewis, who had represented the district since 2017, ran for re-election. He was elected with 47% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of R+2.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jason Lewis, incumbent U.S. Representative^[38]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Angie Craig, former St. Jude Medical executive and nominee for this seat in 2016^[39]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[28]	Lean D (flip)	November 5, 2018
Inside Elections[29]	Tilt D (flip)	November 5, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball[30]	Lean D (flip)	November 5, 2018
RCP[31]	Lean D (flip)	November 5, 2018
Daily Kos[32]	Tossup	November 5, 2018
538[33]	Likely D (flip)	November 7, 2018

Endorsements

Jason Lewis (R)

U.S. Executive Branch officials

• Donald Trump, president of the United States^[40]

State officials

• Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota^[41]

State legislators

• Jeff Johnson, former state representative (43A), nominee for governor of Minnesota in 2014 and 2018^[41]

Angie Craig (D)

Labor unions

• American Federation of Government Employees^[42]
• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 5^[43]
• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 65^[43]
• Communications Workers of America Minnesota State Council^[44]
• Education Minnesota^[45]
• Minnesota AFL–CIO^[46]
• Service Employees International Union Minnesota State Council^[47]

Organizations

• Congressional Progressive Caucus^[48]
• EMILY's List^[49]
• End Citizens United^[50]
• Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund^[51]
• Giffords^[52]
• Human Rights Campaign^[53]
• League of Conservation Voters Action Fund^[54]
• LGBT Equality Caucus^[55]
• LPAC^[56]
• Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party^[57]
• New Democrat Coalition^[58]
• Stonewall Democrats DFL Caucus^[59]

Newspapers

• Star Tribune^[60]

Debate

2018 Minnesota's 2nd congressional district debate

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Republican	Democratic
Key:  P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
					Jason Lewis	Angie Craig
1	Oct. 19, 2018	Twin Cities Public Television	Eric Eskola Cathy Wurzer	[61]	P	P

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Jason Lewis (R)	Angie Craig (D)	Undecided
Global Strategy Group (D)[62]	October 9–14, 2018	400	± 4.9%	43%	52%	15%
NYT Upshot/Siena College[63]	September 29 – October 2, 2018	487	± 5.0%	39%	51%	9%
WPA Intelligence (R-Lewis)[64]	September 29 – October 1, 2018	412	± 4.9%	46%	43%	9%
SurveyUSA[65]	September 17–23, 2018	569	± 4.5%	45%	48%	7%
Public Policy Polling (D)[66]	September 17–18, 2018	531	–	45%	48%	7%
WPA Intelligence (R-Lewis)[67]	August 18–21, 2018	400	± 4.9%	46%	45%	9%
Public Policy Polling (D)[68]	October 4–7, 2017	732	± 3.6%	43%	42%	15%

Results

Craig defeated Lewis in a rematch of their 2016 race.

Minnesota's 2nd congressional district, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Angie Craig	177,954	52.7
	Republican	Jason Lewis (incumbent)	159,343	47.1
	Write-in		668	0.2
Total votes			337,965	100.0
	Democratic (DFL) gain from Republican

District 3

2018 Minnesota's 3rd congressional district election

← 2016 2020 →

Nominee Dean Phillips Erik Paulsen Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 202,402 160,839 Percentage 55.6% 44.2%

Precinct results Phillips:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Paulsen:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Erik Paulsen Republican Elected U.S. Representative Dean Phillips Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 3rd congressional district

Incumbent Republican Erik Paulsen, who had represented the district since 2009, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 57% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of D+1.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Erik Paulsen, incumbent U.S. Representative

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Erik Paulsen (incumbent)	39,080	100.0
Total votes			39,080	100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Dean Phillips, businessman^[5]

Eliminated in primary

• Cole Young^[5]

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Dean Phillips	56,697	81.6
	Democratic (DFL)	Cole Young	12,784	18.4
Total votes			69,481	100.0

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[28]	Lean D (flip)	November 5, 2018
Inside Elections[29]	Tilt D (flip)	November 5, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball[30]	Lean D (flip)	November 5, 2018
RCP[31]	Lean D (flip)	November 5, 2018
Daily Kos[32]	Tossup	November 5, 2018
538[33]	Likely D (flip)	November 7, 2018

Debates

2018 Minnesota's 3rd congressional district debates

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Republican	Democratic
Key:  P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
					Erik Paulsen	Dean Phillips
1	Oct. 5, 2018	KNOW-FM	Mike Mulcahy	[69]	P	P
2	Oct. 19, 2018	Twin Cities Public Television	Eric Eskola Cathy Wurzer	[70]	P	P

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Erik Paulsen (R)	Dean Phillips (D)	Undecided
SurveyUSA[71]	September 24–29, 2018	607	± 4.3%	44%	49%	8%
Public Policy Polling (D)[72]	September 17–18, 2018	538	–	39%	52%	9%
NYT Upshot/Siena College[73]	September 7–9, 2018	500	± 4.6%	42%	51%	7%
Public Policy Polling (D)[74]	February 12–13, 2018	664	± 3.8%	43%	46%	11%
Public Policy Polling (D)[75]	November 9–10, 2017	542	± 4.2%	42%	46%	12%

Results

Phillips defeated Paulsen.^[76]

Minnesota's 3rd congressional district, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Dean Phillips	202,402	55.6
	Republican	Erik Paulsen (incumbent)	160,839	44.2
	Write-in		707	0.2
Total votes			363,948	100
	Democratic (DFL) gain from Republican

District 4

2018 Minnesota's 4th congressional district election

← 2016 2020 →

Nominee Betty McCollum Greg Ryan Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 216,866 97,746 Percentage 66.0% 29.7%

Precinct results McCollum:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Ryan:      40–50%      50–60%      No votes

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 Democrat Betty McCollum, who had represented the district since 2001, ran for re-election. She was re-elected with 58% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of D+14.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Betty McCollum, incumbent U.S. Representative^[5]

Eliminated in primary

• Muad Hassan^[5]
• Reid Rossell^[5]

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Betty McCollum (incumbent)	86,843	91.0
	Democratic (DFL)	Muad Hassan	5,398	5.7
	Democratic (DFL)	Reid Rossell	3,156	3.3
Total votes			95,397	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Greg Ryan, businessman and nominee for this seat in 2016^[5]

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Greg Ryan	23,021	100.0
Total votes			23,021	100.0

Legal Marijuana Now

Candidates

Nominee

• Susan Pendergast Sindt, nominee for this seat in 2016^[5]

General election

McCollum faced Republican businessman Greg Ryan and Susan Pendergast Sindt of the Legal Marijuana Now Party in the general election.^[77]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[28]	Safe D	November 5, 2018
Inside Elections[29]	Safe D	November 5, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball[30]	Safe D	November 5, 2018
RCP[31]	Safe D	November 5, 2018
Daily Kos[32]	Safe D	November 5, 2018
538[33]	Safe D	November 7, 2018

Results

Minnesota's 4th congressional district, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Betty McCollum (incumbent)	216,866	66.0
	Republican	Greg Ryan	97,746	29.7
	Legal Marijuana Now	Susan Pendergast Sindt	13,777	4.2
	Write-in		226	0.1
Total votes			328,615	100.0
	Democratic (DFL) hold

District 5

2018 Minnesota's 5th congressional district election

← 2016 2020 →

Nominee Ilhan Omar Jennifer Zielinski Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 267,703 74,440 Percentage 78.0% 21.7%

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

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

See also: Minnesota's 5th congressional district

Incumbent Democrat Keith Ellison, who had represented the district since 2007, decided to not run for re-election, instead seeking the Democratic nomination for the open Attorney General race. He was re-elected with 69% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of D+26.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Ilhan Omar, state representative^[78][79]

Eliminated in primary

• Jamal Abdi Abdulahi, engineer and chair of the DFL Somali-American Caucus^[80]
• Frank Nelson Drake, real estate agent, Republican nominee for this seat in 2016^[80]
• Margaret Anderson Kelliher, former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives and candidate for governor in 2010^[81]
• Patricia Torres Ray, state senator^[81]

Campaign suspended, still on ballot

• Bobby Joe Champion, State Senator^[80][82]

Withdrawn

• Keith Ellison, incumbent U.S. Representative, running for Attorney General in 2018^[83]
• Kim Ellison, Minneapolis School Board member, former spouse of Keith Ellison^[84]
• Julie Sabo, former state senator and daughter of former Congressman Martin Olav Sabo^[80][84]

Endorsements

Ilhan Omar

State officials

• Mark Dayton, governor of Minnesota^[85]

State legislators

• Raymond Dehn, state representative^[86]
• John Lesch, state representative^[87]

Labor unions

• Teamsters Local 120^[88]

Organizations

• Center for Popular Democracy^[89]
• Democracy for America^[88]
• End Citizens United^[90]
• Justice Democrats^[91]
• Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party^[92]
• MoveOn.org^[89]
• Our Revolution^[89]
• People for the American Way^[88]
• The People for Bernie Sanders^[88]
• Sierra Club^[88]

Local officials

• Lisa Bender, Minneapolis City Council president^[93]
• Jacob Frey, mayor of Minneapolis^[93]

Party officials

• Ken Martin, chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party^[94]

Individuals

• Alicia Garza, cofounder of Black Lives Matter^[95]
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democratic nominee for New York's 14th congressional district^[96]

Margaret Anderson Kelliher

State officials

• Arne Carlson, former Republican governor^[97]

State legislators

• Lyndon Carlson, state representative^[98]
• Phyllis Kahn, former state representative^[89]
• Carolyn Laine, state senator^[98]
• Ron Latz, state senator^[98]
• Ann Rest, state senator^[98]
• Tony Sertich, former state representative^[87]
• Linda Slocum, state representative^[98]
• Ryan Winkler, former state representative^[99]

Local officials

• Mike Opat, Hennepin County commissioner^[98]

Patricia Torres Ray

State legislators

• Karen Clark, state representative^[92]
• Larry Pogemiller, former Minnesota Senate Majority Leader^[87]

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Ilhan Omar	65,238	48.2
	Democratic (DFL)	Margaret Anderson Kelliher	41,156	30.4
	Democratic (DFL)	Patricia Torres Ray	17,629	13.0
	Democratic (DFL)	Jamal Abdulahi	4,984	3.7
	Democratic (DFL)	Bobby Joe Champion	3,831	2.8
	Democratic (DFL)	Frank Drake	2,480	1.8
Total votes			135,318	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jennifer Zielinski, health care worker and Republican activist^[80]

Eliminated in primary

• Bob Carney Jr., perennial candidate^[80]
• Christopher Chamberlin^[80]

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jennifer Zielinski	8,680	56.5
	Republican	Christopher Chamberlin	4,999	32.5
	Republican	Bob Carney	1,688	11.0
Total votes			15,367	100.0

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[28]	Safe D	November 5, 2018
Inside Elections[29]	Safe D	November 5, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball[30]	Safe D	November 5, 2018
RCP[31]	Safe D	November 5, 2018
Daily Kos[32]	Safe D	November 5, 2018
538[33]	Safe D	November 7, 2018

Results

Minnesota's 5th congressional district, 2018^[100]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Ilhan Omar	267,703	78.0
	Republican	Jennifer Zielinski	74,440	21.7
	Write-in		1,215	0.3
Total votes			343,358	100.0
	Democratic (DFL) hold

District 6

2018 Minnesota's 6th congressional district election

← 2016 2020 →

Nominee Tom Emmer Ian Todd Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 192,936 122,330 Percentage 61.1% 38.7%

Precinct results Emmer:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Todd:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Tie:      40–50%      50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Tom Emmer Republican Elected U.S. Representative Tom Emmer Republican

See also: Minnesota's 6th congressional district

Incumbent Republican Tom Emmer, who had represented the district since 2015, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 66% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of R+12 despite narrowly voting for incumbent Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar on the same ballot.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Tom Emmer, incumbent U.S. Representative^[5]

Eliminated in primary

• A.J. Kern^[5]
• Patrick Munro^[5]

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tom Emmer (incumbent)	34,251	76.6
	Republican	A.J. Kern	7,897	17.7
	Republican	Patrick Munro	2,575	5.8
Total votes			44,723	100.0

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Ian Todd, Air Force veteran^[101][5]

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Ian Todd	33,853	100.0
Total votes			33,853	100.0

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[28]	Safe R	November 5, 2018
Inside Elections[29]	Safe R	November 5, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball[30]	Safe R	November 5, 2018
RCP[31]	Safe R	November 5, 2018
Daily Kos[32]	Safe R	November 5, 2018
538[33]	Safe R	November 7, 2018

Endorsements

Tom Emmer (R)

U.S. Executive Branch officials

• Donald Trump, President of the United States^[16]

Results

Minnesota's 6th congressional district, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tom Emmer (incumbent)	192,936	61.1
	Democratic (DFL)	Ian Todd	122,330	38.7
	Write-in		463	0.2
Total votes			315,729	100.0
	Republican hold

District 7

2018 Minnesota's 7th congressional district election

← 2016 2020 →

Nominee Collin Peterson David Hughes Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 146,665 134,668 Percentage 52.1% 47.8%

County results Peterson:      50–60%      60–70% Hughes:      50–60%      60–70%

Precinct results Peterson:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Hughes:      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 Democrat Collin Peterson, who had represented the district since 1991, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 52% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of R+12.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Collin Peterson, incumbent U.S. Representative^[5]

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Collin Peterson (incumbent)	39,961	100.0
Total votes			39,961	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Dave Hughes, U.S. Air Force veteran and nominee for this seat in 2016^[102]

Eliminated in primary

• Matt Prosch^[5]

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Dave Hughes	30,786	72.6
	Republican	Matt Prosch	11,618	27.4
Total votes			42,404	100.0

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[28]	Likely D	November 5, 2018
Inside Elections[29]	Safe D	November 5, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball[30]	Likely D	November 5, 2018
RCP[31]	Tossup	November 5, 2018
Daily Kos[32]	Likely D	November 5, 2018
538[33]	Likely D	November 7, 2018

Endorsements

Collin Peterson (D)

Organizations

• NRA Political Victory Fund^[103]

Dave Hughes (R)

U.S. Executive Branch officials

• Donald Trump, U.S. president^[104]

Debate

2018 Minnesota's 7th congressional district debate

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Democratic	Republican
Key:  P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
					Collin Peterson	Dave Hughes
1	Oct. 19, 2018	Prairie Public Television	Matt Olien	[105]	P	P

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Collin Peterson (D)	Dave Hughes (R)	Undecided
ALG Research (D-Peterson)[106]	September 5–10, 2018	500	± 4.4%	53%	35%	–

Results

Minnesota's 7th congressional district, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Collin Peterson (incumbent)	146,665	52.1
	Republican	Dave Hughes	134,668	47.8
	Write-in		169	0.1
Total votes			281,502	100.0
	Democratic (DFL) hold

District 8

2018 Minnesota's 8th congressional district election

← 2016 2020 →

Nominee Pete Stauber Joe Radinovich Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 159,364 141,948 Percentage 50.7% 45.2%

Precinct results Stauber:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Radinovich:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Tie:      40–50%      50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Rick Nolan Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Peter Stauber Republican

See also: Minnesota's 8th congressional district

Incumbent Democrat Rick Nolan, who had represented the district since 2013 and previously represented Minnesota's 6th district from 1975 to 1981, decided to run for lieutenant governor of Minnesota instead of running for re-election. He was re-elected with 50% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of R+4.^[107]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Joe Radinovich, former state representative^[108]

Eliminated in primary

• Kirsten Kennedy, mayor of North Branch^[109]
• Michelle D. Lee, former Duluth news anchor^[110]
• Jason Metsa, state representative^[111]
• Soren Christian Sorensen, liberal activist^[5]

Withdrawn

• Leah Phifer, former ICE agent and FBI analyst^[112]

Endorsements

Michelle Lee

State officials

• Yvonne Prettner Solon, former lieutenant governor of Minnesota^[113]

Jason Metsa

Labor unions

• International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers Local 647^[114]
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 294^[115]
• United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1189^[115]
• United Steelworkers District 11^[116]

Joe Radinovich

U.S. Representatives

• Rick Nolan, U.S. Representative (DFL-MN)^[117]

Labor unions

• American Federation of Government Employees District 8^[118]
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 242^[119]

Organizations

• End Citizens United^[90]

Primary results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Joe Radinovich	30,391	44.2
	Democratic (DFL)	Michelle Lee	18,940	27.5
	Democratic (DFL)	Jason Metsa	9,009	13.1
	Democratic (DFL)	Kirsten Kennedy	8,064	11.7
	Democratic (DFL)	Soren Sorensen	2,396	3.5
Total votes			68,800	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Pete Stauber, St. Louis County commissioner, and former professional hockey player^[120]

Eliminated in primary

• Harry Robb Welty, former Duluth School Board member^[5]

Declined

• Stewart Mills III, Mills Fleet Farm executive and nominee for this seat in 2014 & 2016^[121]

Endorsements

Pete Stauber

U.S. Executive Branch officials

• Mike Pence, vice president^[122]
• Donald Trump, president^[123][124]

U.S. Senators

• Rudy Boschwitz, former U.S. Senator^[125]

U.S. Representatives

• Don Bacon, U.S. Representative (R-NE)^[125]
• Chip Cravaack, former U.S. Representative (R-MN)^[125]
• Tom Emmer, U.S. Representative (R-MN)^[125]
• John Kline, former U.S. Representative (R-MN)^[125]
• Patrick McHenry, U.S. Representative (R-NC)^[125]

State senators

• Michelle Benson^[125]
• Justin Eichorn^[125]
• Paul Gazelka, Majority Leader^[126]
• Karin Housley^[125]
• Mark Koran^[125]
• Andrew Mathews^[125]
• Carrie Ruud^[125]
• Paul Utke^[125]

State representatives

• Matt Bliss^[125]

Organizations

• Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life^[127]
• National Federation of Independent Business^[128]
• National Right to Life^[129]
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce^[130]

Newspapers

• Duluth News Tribune^[131]
• Mesabi Daily News^[132]
• Star Tribune^[133]

Primary results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Pete Stauber	44,814	89.9
	Republican	Harry Welty	5,021	10.1
Total votes			49,835	100.0

Independence

Candidates

• Ray "Skip" Sandman^[134]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[28]	Lean R (flip)	November 5, 2018
Inside Elections[29]	Lean R (flip)	November 5, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball[30]	Lean R (flip)	November 5, 2018
RCP[31]	Lean R (flip)	November 5, 2018
Daily Kos[32]	Lean R (flip)	November 5, 2018
538[33]	Likely R (flip)	November 7, 2018

Debate

2018 Minnesota's 8th congressional district debate

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Democratic	Republican
Key:  P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
					Joe Radinovich	Pete Stauber
1	Oct. 26, 2018	Minnesota Public Radio	Mike Mulcahy	[135]	P	P

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Joe Radinovich (D)	Pete Stauber (R)	Ray Sandman (I)	Undecided
NYT Upshot/Siena College[136]	October 11–14, 2018	507	± 4.6%	34%	49%	4%	13%
Victoria Research (D-Radinovich)[137]	September 27–30, 2018	400	± 4.9%	45%	44%	–	11%
NYT Upshot/Siena College[138]	September 6–9, 2018	504	± 4.6%	44%	43%	–	13%

Results

Stauber defeated Radinovich in the general election.^[139]

Minnesota's 8th congressional district, 2018

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Pete Stauber	159,364	50.7
	Democratic (DFL)	Joe Radinovich	141,948	45.2
	Independence	Ray "Skip" Sandman	12,741	4.0
	Write-in		156	0.1
Total votes			314,209	100.0
	Republican gain from Democratic (DFL)

See also

• Minnesota elections, 2018