2018 United States Senate election in Minnesota

For related races, see 2018 United States Senate elections. For the other Senate election in Minnesota held in parallel, see 2018 United States Senate special election in Minnesota.

The 2018 United States Senate election in Minnesota took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a United States senator from Minnesota. Incumbent Democratic–Farmer–Labor U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar was reelected in a landslide, defeating Republican state House of Representatives member Jim Newberger. This election was held alongside a special election for Minnesota's other Senate seat, which was held by Al Franken until he resigned in January 2018. U.S. House elections, a gubernatorial election, State House elections, and other elections were also held.

2018 United States Senate election in Minnesota

← 2012 November 6, 2018 2024 →
Turnout	63.89%
Nominee Amy Klobuchar Jim Newberger Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 1,566,174 940,437 Percentage 60.31% 36.21%
County results Congressional district results Precinct results Klobuchar:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Newberger:      20–30%      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Tie:       No vote:
U.S. senator before election Amy Klobuchar Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar Democratic (DFL)

The candidate filing deadline was June 5, 2018, and the primary election was held on August 14, 2018.^[1] This is the last time that a Democratic candidate won a majority of Minnesota's counties in a statewide election.

Democratic-Farmer-Labor primary

Candidates

Nominated

• Amy Klobuchar, incumbent U.S. senator^[2]

Eliminated in primary

• Steve Carlson^[3]
• Stephen A. Emery^[3]
• David R. Groves^[3]
• Leonard J. Richards^[3]

Endorsements

Amy Klobuchar

Organizations

• Communications Workers of America^[4]
• EMILY's List^[5]
• End Citizens United^[6]
• Feminist Majority Political Action Committee ^[7]
• League of Conservation Voters^[8]
• National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare^[9]
• Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund^[10]
• Population Connection^[11]
• United Automobile Workers^[12]

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party primary results^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Amy Klobuchar (incumbent)	557,306	95.70%
	Democratic (DFL)	Steve Carlson	9,934	1.71%
	Democratic (DFL)	Stephen Emery	7,047	1.21%
	Democratic (DFL)	David Groves	4,511	0.77%
	Democratic (DFL)	Leonard Richards	3,552	0.61%
Total votes			582,350	100%

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominated

• Jim Newberger, state representative^[14] (Minnesota GOP convention endorsed)^[15]

Eliminated in primary

• Merrill Anderson,^[3] past candidate for mayor of Minneapolis, past candidate for governor of Minnesota
• Rae Hart Anderson^[3]
• Rocky De La Fuente, 2016 Reform Party presidential nominee and perennial candidate^[3]

Declined

• Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota^[16] (running for governor)

Endorsements

Jim Newberger

State legislators

• Representative Tony Albright, 55B, vice chair of the Health and Human Services Finance Committee
• Senator Bruce Anderson, SD 29
• Representative Paul Anderson, 12B, chair of the Agriculture Policy Committee
• Representative Jeff Backer, 12A, vice chair of the Agriculture Policy Committee
• Representative Cal Bahr, 31B
• Representative Peggy Bennett, 27A, vice chair of the Education Finance Committee
• Senator Dave Brown, SD15, retired
• Representative Drew Christensen, 56A
• Representative Steve Drazkowski, 21B, chair of the Property Tax Committee
• Representative Sondra Erickson, 15A, chair of the Education Innovation Policy Committee
• Representative Dan Fabian, 1A, chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee
• Representative Patrick Garofalo, 58B, chair of the Growth and Energy Affordibility Committee
• Representative Steve Green, 2B
• Representative Glenn Gruenhagen, 18B
• Representative Bob Gunther, 23A, chair of the Legacy Committee
• Senator Dan Hall, SD 56, chair of the Local Government Finance Committee
• Representative Josh Heintzeman, 10A, vice chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee
• Representative Jerry Hertaus, 33A, vice chair of the Property Tax Committee
• Representative Jeff Howe, 13A
• Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen, SD 8, chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Finance Committee
• Representative Tony Jurgens, 54B
• Representative Ron Kresha, 9B, Majority Whip
• Representative Sandy Layman, 5B
• Representative Kathy Lohmer, 39B
• Representative Bob Loonan, 55A
• Representative Eric Lucero, 30B
• Representative Dale Lueck, 10B, vice chair of the Mining, Forestry and Tourism SubCommittee
• Senator Andrew Mathews, SD15, vice chair, Energy and Utilities Committee
• Representative Anne Neu, 32B
• Representative Marion O'Neill, 29B, chair of Employee Relations Subcommittee
• Representative Joyce Peppin, 34A, Majority Leader
• Representative Roz Peterson, 56B
• Representative John Poston, 9A.
• Representative Cindy Pugh, 33B, vice chair of the Government Operations and Elections Committee
• Representative Duane Quam, 25A
• Senator Julie Rosen, SD23, Finance Committee chair
• Representative Dennis Smith, 34B, vice chair of the Civil Law and Data Practices Committee
• Representative Mark Uglem, 36A, vice chair of the Capital Investment Committee
• Representative Nick Zerwas, 30A

Individuals

• Mike Lindell, CEO of My Pillow^[17][18]

Organizations

• Chinese American Alliance Action^[19]

Newspapers

• Duluth News Tribune^[20]

Results

Results by county

Map legend

•   Newberger—80–90%
•   Newberger—70–80%
•   Newberger—60–70%
•   Newberger—50–60%

Results by county

Results by congressional district

Map legend

•   Newberger—70–80%
•   Newberger—60–70%

Results by congressional district

Republican Party primary results^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Newberger	201,531	69.50%
	Republican	Merrill Anderson	45,492	15.69%
	Republican	Rae Hart Anderson	25,883	8.93%
	Republican	Roque "Rocky" de la Fuente	17,051	5.88%
Total votes			289,957	100%

Minor parties and independents

Candidates

• Paula M. Overby (Green Party)^[21]
• Dennis Schuller (Legal Marijuana Now Party)^[22]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[23]	Safe D	October 26, 2018
Inside Elections[24]	Safe D	November 1, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball[25]	Safe D	November 5, 2018
Fox News[26]	Likely D	July 9, 2018
CNN[27]	Safe D	July 12, 2018
RealClearPolitics[28]	Safe D	November 5, 2018

Debates

On August 24, MPR News hosted a debate between Amy Klobuchar and Jim Newberger at the Minnesota State Fair.^[29]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of October 17, 2018
Candidate (party)	Total receipts	Total disbursements	Cash on hand
Amy Klobuchar (DFL)	$10,139,499	$7,700,359	$5,086,325
Jim Newberger (R)	$210,846	$191,815	$19,030
Source: Federal Election Commission[30]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Amy Klobuchar (DFL)	Jim Newberger (R)	Paula Overby (G)	Dennis Schuller (LMN)	Other	Undecided
Change Research[31]	November 2–4, 2018	953	–	55%	40%	2%	3%	–	–
Research Co.[32]	November 1–3, 2018	450	± 4.6%	53%	33%	–	–	2%	12%
SurveyUSA[33]	October 29–31, 2018	600	± 5.3%	57%	34%	–	–	1%	7%
St. Cloud State University[34]	October 15–30, 2018	420	–	54%	28%	–	–	–
Mason-Dixon[35]	October 15–17, 2018	800	± 3.5%	56%	33%	2%	2%	–	8%
Change Research[36]	October 12–13, 2018	1,413	–	50%	41%	2%	5%	–	2%
Marist College[37]	September 30 – October 4, 2018	637 LV	± 4.9%	60%	32%	4%	–	<1%	4%
				63%	33%	–	–	<1%	4%
		860 RV	± 4.2%	59%	32%	5%	–	<1%	5%
				62%	33%	–	–	<1%	5%
Mason-Dixon[38]	September 10–12, 2018	800	± 3.5%	60%	30%	1%	3%	–	6%
SurveyUSA[39]	September 6–8, 2018	574	± 4.9%	53%	38%	–	–	2%	8%
Suffolk University[40]	August 17–20, 2018	500	± 4.4%	54%	34%	1%	1%	–	11%
Emerson College[41]	August 8–11, 2018	500	± 4.6%	50%	26%	–	–	–	24%
BK Strategies[42]	June 24–25, 2018	1,574	± 2.5%	57%	37%	–	–	–	6%

Hypothetical polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Generic Democrat	Generic Republican	Undecided
BK Strategies (R)[43]	June 24–25, 2018	1,574	± 2.5%	49%	42%	9%

Results

Klobuchar won the election by a margin of 24.10%. She carried a clear majority of the state's 87 counties, won every congressional district, and had the biggest statewide margin of any statewide candidate in Minnesota in 2018. Klobuchar ran up huge margins in the state's population centers and trounced Newberger in the counties encompassing the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. As in her 2012 victory, she also won many rural counties. Klobuchar was sworn in for a third term on January 3, 2019.

United States Senate election in Minnesota, 2018^[44]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic (DFL)	Amy Klobuchar (incumbent)	1,566,174	60.31%	−4.92%
	Republican	Jim Newberger	940,437	36.21%	+5.68%
	Legal Marijuana Now	Dennis Schuller	66,236	2.55%	N/A
	Green	Paula Overby	23,101	0.89%	N/A
	Write-in		931	0.04%	-0.05%
Total votes			2,596,879	100.00%	N/A
	Democratic (DFL) hold

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Morrison (largest city: Little Falls)
• Todd (largest city: Long Prairie)
• Jackson (largest city: Jackson)
• Faribault (largest city: Blue Earth)
• Nobles (largest city: Worthington)
• Martin (largest city: Fairmont)
• Cottonwood (largest city: Windom)
• Dodge (largest city: Kasson)
• Murray (largest city: Slayton)
• Lincoln (largest city: Tyler)
• Redwood (largest city: Redwood Falls)
• Brown (largest city: New Ulm)
• McLeod (largest city: Hutchinson)
• Meeker (largest city: Litchfield)
• Wright (largest city: Otsego)
• Sibley (largest city: Gaylord)
• Benton (largest city: Sauk Rapids)
• Sherburne (largest city: Elk River)
• Isanti (largest city: Cambridge)
• Chisago (largest city: North Branch)
• Mille Lacs (largest city: Princeton)
• Kanabec (largest city: Mora)
• Marshall (largest city: Warren)
• Lake of the Woods (largest city: Baudette)
• Roseau (largest city: Roseau)
• Clearwater (largest city: Bagley)
• Polk (largest city: East Grand Forks)
• Becker (largest city: Detroit Lakes)
• Douglas (largest city: Alexandria)
• Otter Tail (largest city: Fergus Falls)
• Cass (largest city: Lake Shore)
• Crow Wing (largest city: Brainerd)
• Hubbard (largest city: Park Rapids)
• Wadena (largest city: Wadena)

Swing by county

Legend

•   Democratic — +10-15%
•   Democratic — +5-10%
•   Democratic — +0-5%
•   Republican — +0-5%
•   Republican — +5-10%
•   Republican — +10-15%
•   Republican — +15-20%
•   Republican — +20-25%
•   Republican — +25-30%
•   Republican — +>30%

Trend by county

Legend

•   Democratic — +10-15%
•   Democratic — +5-10%
•   Democratic — +0-5%
•   Republican — +0-5%
•   Republican — +5-10%
•   Republican — +10-15%
•   Republican — +15-20%
•   Republican — +20-25%
•   Republican — +25-30%
•   Republican — +>30%

By congressional district

Klobuchar won all eight congressional districts, including three that elected Republicans.^[45]

District	Klobuchar	Newberger	Representative
1st	54%	42%	Tim Walz (115th Congress)
			Jim Hagedorn (116th Congress)
2nd	59%	38%	Jason Lewis (115th Congress)
			Angie Craig (116th Congress)
3rd	63%	35%	Erik Paulsen (115th Congress)
			Dean Phillips (116th Congress)
4th	71%	25%	Betty McCollum
5th	81%	15%	Keith Ellison (115th Congress)
			Ilhan Omar (116th Congress)
6th	48.3%	48.2%	Tom Emmer
7th	48.4%	48.3%	Collin Peterson
8th	54%	43%	Rick Nolan (115th Congress)
			Pete Stauber (116th Congress)

Voter demographics

Edison Research exit poll

Demographic subgroup	Klobuchar	Newberger	No answer	% of voters
Gender
Men	54	45	1	46
Women	67	32	1	54
Age
18–24 years old	79	19	2	6
25–29 years old	60	39	1	5
30–39 years old	63	35	2	12
40–49 years old	57	42	1	13
50–64 years old	61	38	1	29
65 and older	60	39	1	35
Race
White	59	40	1	89
Black	86	12	2	5
Latino	N/A	N/A	N/A	3
Asian	N/A	N/A	N/A	2
Other	N/A	N/A	N/A	2
Race by gender
White men	52	47	1	40
White women	65	34	1	49
Black men	N/A	N/A	N/A	3
Black women	N/A	N/A	N/A	2
Latino men	N/A	N/A	N/A	1
Latino women	N/A	N/A	N/A	1
Others	N/A	N/A	N/A	4
Education
High school or less	59	40	1	17
Some college education	55	43	2	23
Associate degree	54	44	2	17
Bachelor's degree	66	34	N/A	26
Advanced degree	75	25	N/A	16
Education and race
White college graduates	68	31	1	38
White no college degree	53	46	1	51
Non-white college graduates	79	20	1	4
Non-white no college degree	82	17	1	7
Whites by education and gender
White women with college degrees	74	25	1	21
White women without college degrees	59	40	1	28
White men with college degrees	61	39	N/A	17
White men without college degrees	46	53	1	23
Non-whites	80	18	2	11
Income
Under $30,000	67	28	5	14
$30,000–49,999	63	35	2	20
$50,000–99,999	55	44	1	36
$100,000–199,999	64	36	N/A	23
Over $200,000	N/A	N/A	N/A	7
Party ID
Democrats	98	2	N/A	39
Republicans	18	81	1	32
Independents	62	36	2	29
Party by gender
Democratic men	96	4	N/A	14
Democratic women	99	1	N/A	25
Republican men	16	84	N/A	15
Republican women	20	78	2	17
Independent men	56	42	2	16
Independent women	69	29	2	13
Ideology
Liberals	96	3	1	27
Moderates	76	23	1	39
Conservatives	17	82	1	33
Marital status
Married	55	44	1	67
Unmarried	69	28	3	33
Gender by marital status
Married men	51	47	2	31
Married women	58	42	N/A	36
Unmarried men	59	38	3	15
Unmarried women	79	19	2	18
First-time midterm election voter
Yes	59	40	1	13
No	64	35	1	87
Most important issue facing the country
Health care	78	20	2	50
Immigration	29	70	1	22
Economy	37	62	1	18
Gun policy	N/A	N/A	N/A	7
Area type
Urban	73	26	1	40
Suburban	58	41	1	32
Rural	49	49	2	28
Source: CNN[46]

See also

• 2018 Minnesota elections