The 2008 Minnesota U.S. House of Representatives elections took place on November 4, 2008. All 8 congressional seats that make up the state's delegation were contested. Representatives were elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the

111th United States Congress The 111th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011. It began during the last weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with th ...

from January 4, 2009 until January 3, 2011. The 2008 presidential election, 2008 Senate election (for the seat held by Republican Norm Coleman), and 2008

Minnesota Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decennia ...

elections occurred on the same date, as well as many local elections and ballot initiatives. The 110th congressional delegation from the U.S. state of Minnesota had three

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and five Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party members (DFLers). Six were men; two were women. Three were freshmen in the 110th congress. The veterans ranged in experience from Jim Oberstar with 33 years of experience and the chairman of the Transportation Committee, to John Kline with just four years of experience.

Overview

Statewide

By district

Results of the 2008 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota by district:

District 1

This district extended across southern Minnesota from the border with South Dakota to the border of Wisconsin. Incumbent Democrat Tim Walz, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for re-election. He was elected with 53% of the vote in 2006, defeating 6-term Republican Gil Gutknecht in 2006 in somewhat of a surprise victory. The district had a PVI of R+1.

Democratic primary

Walz, a former teacher and

Command Sergeant Major A command sergeant major (CSM) is a non-commissioned rank and position of office in the United States Army. The holder of this rank and position is the most senior enlisted member of a color-bearing Army unit (battalion or higher). The CSM is ap ...

in the National Guard had no opponent in the race for the DFL nomination for the seat in the September 12, 2006 primary election.

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Tim Walz, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Brian J. Davis, Mayo Clinic physician

=Eliminated in primary

= * Dick Day, state senator and former

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Majority Leader (1997-2007)

=Withdrawn

= *

Randy Demmer Randy L. Demmer (born January 3, 1957) is a Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives who represented District 29A, which includes portions of Dodge and Olmsted counties in the southeastern part of the st ...

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

*Mark Meyer, actuary, lawyer and member of the Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial School Board

Results

Independence primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Gregory Mikkelson

Results

General election

Predictions

Results

Walz won a second term, garnering 62.5% of the vote.

District 2

This district spans the width of the entire southern

metro area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually co ...

and contains all of Carver,

Scott Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saska ...

, Le Sueur, Goodhue and Rice Counties and most of

Dakota County Dakota County may refer to: *Dakota County, Minnesota in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area of east-central Minnesota *Dakota County, Nebraska Dakota County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of th2020 United States Census the populati ...

. Incumbent Republican John Kline, who had represented the district since 2003, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 56.2% of the vote in 2006. The district had a PVI of R+3.

Republican primary

Republican John Kline held on to the second district seat in 2006, defeating DFL challenger, former FBI agent, Coleen Rowley. The district Republican lean, Kline's unwavering support for

Bush Bush commonly refers to: * Shrub, a small or medium woody plant Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to: People * Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name **Bush family, a prominent American family that includes: *** ...

and the Iraq War did not make him appear too vulnerable to a challenger in 2008.

Candidates

=Nominee

= * John Kline, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary

On October 4, 2007, Iraq War veteran

Steve Sarvi Stephen Todd 'Steve' Sarvi is an Iraq War veteran and the 2008 Democratic Farmer Labor Party candidate for U.S. Congress in . Civic leadership His experience includes working as city administrator in Lanesboro, Victoria, and Watertown. ...

announced he would challenge Kline for the seat. His experience also included being mayor of Watertown, Minnesota and city administrator for

Victoria, Minnesota Victoria is a city in Carver County, Minnesota, Carver County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 7,345 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , ...

. He believed that a change in U.S. policy in Iraq was needed. On May 3, Sarvi was endorsed by the 2nd District DFL party. He was also endorsed by the Independence Party of Minnesota.

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, Iraq War veteran and former Mayor of Watertown

General election

Predictions

Results

Kline won garnering 57.3% of the vote.

District 3

This district encompasses the suburbs of Hennepin County to the north, west, and south of Minneapolis. Incumbent Republican Jim Ramstad, who had represented the district since 1991, announced on September 17, 2007 that he would not seek re-election in 2008. He was re-elected with 64.9% of the vote in 2006 and the district had a PVI of Even.

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Erik Paulsen, state representative from district 42B since 1995, and former Minnesota House Majority Leader (2003–2007)

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Ashwin Madia, attorney and Iraq War veteran

=Withdrawn

= *

Terri Bonoff Terri E. Bonoff (born August 1, 1957) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Minnesota. She is a former member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 44, which included portions of Minnetonka, Plymouth and Woodland in Hennepin ...

*Jim Hovland, Mayor of

Edina EDINA is a centre for digital expertise, based at the University of Edinburgh as a division of the Information Services Group. Services EDINA front-end services (those accessed directly by the user) are available free at the point of use for ...

(withdrew March 2008)

Endorsements

Results

Independence primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * David Dillon, businessman

=Eliminated in primary

= * Steev Ramsdell

Results

Constitution primary

Candidates

=Withdrawn

= *Harley Swarm

General election

Polling

Predictions

Results

Paulsen won the 2008 race, garnering 48.5% of the vote.

District 4

This district covers most of Ramsey County including all of

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

and several Saint Paul

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

s. Incumbent Democrat Betty McCollum, who had represented the district since 2001, ran for re-election. She was re-elected with 69.5% of the vote in 2006 and the district had a PVI of D+13.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Betty McCollum, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Ed Matthews, attorney

General election

Predictions

CQ Politics forecast the race as 'Safe Democratic'.

Results

McCollum won the race, garnering 68.4% of the vote.

District 5

This district covers eastern Hennepin County, including the entire city of

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, along with parts of Anoka and Ramsey counties. Incumbent Democrat

Keith Ellison Keith Maurice Ellison (born August 4, 1963) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 30th attorney general of Minnesota. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Ellison was the U.S. representative for from 2007 to ...

, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for re-election. He was elected with 55.6% of the vote in 2006 and the district had a PVI of D+21. He was the first African American U.S. Representative from Minnesota as well as the first

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

member of the U.S. Congress.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Gregg A. Iverson

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Barb Davis White, minister, author, and civil rights activist

Results

Independence primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Bill McGaughey

Results

General election

Predictions

CQ Politics forecast the race as 'Safe Democratic'.

Results

District 6

This district includes most or all of

Benton Benton may refer to: Places Canada *Benton, a local service district south of Woodstock, New Brunswick *Benton, Newfoundland and Labrador United Kingdom * Benton, Devon, near Bratton Fleming * Benton, Tyne and Wear United States *Benton, Alabam ...

, Sherburne, Stearns,

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright is ...

, Anoka, and Washington counties. Incumbent Republican Michele Bachmann, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for re-election. She was elected with 50.1% of the vote in 2006 and the district had a PVI of R+5.

Republican primary

Bachmann won a hard-fought battle against Patty Wetterling in 2006, with the help of

Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) is an American Republican political consultant, policy advisor, and lobbyist. He was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until his resignation on August 3 ...

and

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former U ...

campaigning on her behalf and a multimillion-dollar warchest.

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Michele Bachmann, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Aubrey Immelman

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Elwyn Tinklenberg Elwyn "El" Tinklenberg (born February 26, 1950) has been an American government official and candidate for public office. He was Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation, a city council member and mayor, and a two-time candid ...

, former Minnesota Commissioner of Transportation (1999-2002), former Mayor of Blaine, former Methodist minister and candidate for this seat in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

=Withdrawn

= *Bob Olson, banker, tax lawyer and nominee for this seat in

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

Results

Independence primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Bob Anderson

Results

General election

Campaign

Bachmann's charges about "anti-American views" shifted the political dynamics of this campaign, giving a lift to Tinklenberg's candidacy and attracting $1.3 million in new contributions, plus $1 million from the DNC. At the same time the

RNC RNC may refer to: Technology and sciences *Radio Network Controller, a governing element of a mobile phone network *Ribosome-nascent chain complex, in biology *Romanian National R&D Computer Network, registry for the .ro top-level domain * file ex ...

withdrew media buys on behalf of Bachmann.

Endorsements

Polling

Predictions

CQ Politics changed its forecast from 'Republican Favored' to 'Leans Republican' on October 20, and then to 'No Clear Favorite' on October 28. The Cook Political Report then rated it as 'Republican Toss Up'.

Results

Despite the controversy, Bachmann was re-elected, garnering 46.4% of the vote to Tinklenberg's 43.4% and Anderson's 10%.

District 7

This district covers almost all of the western side of Minnesota from the Canada–US border down to Lincoln County and is the largest district in the state. Incumbent Democrat Collin Peterson, who had represented the district since 1991, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 69.7% of the vote in 2006 and the district had a PVI of R+6.

Democratic primary

As chairman of the

House Agriculture Committee The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of s ...

, 9-term DFLer Collin Peterson is at home in this mostly-agricultural district. Although the district leans Republican, Peterson's social conservatism and farmer/labor DFL values served him well in his district.

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Collin Peterson, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Glen Menze, accountant and nominee for this seat in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

=Eliminated in primary

= * Alan Roebke, farmer and

convicted felon A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

Results

General election

Predictions

CQ Politics forecast the race as 'Safe Democratic'.

Results

District 8

This district covers the northeastern part of Minnesota and includes Duluth, Hibbing, and the

Mesabi Range The Mesabi Iron Range is a mining district in northeastern Minnesota following an elongate trend containing large deposits of iron ore. It is the largest of four major iron ranges in the region collectively known as the Iron Range of Minnesota. ...

. Incumbent Democrat Jim Oberstar, who had represented the district since 1975, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 63.6% of the vote in 2006 and the district had a PVI of D+4.

Democratic primary

Seventeen-term veteran DFLer, Jim Oberstar was Minnesota's senior representative. In 2006, former Republican

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Rod Grams challenged Oberstar, garnering 34% of the vote. In 2008, 74-year-old Oberstar maintained his popularity among his constituency. The district leaned Democratic owing to the loyalty of miners, loggers, and farmers to the DFL. On May 3, 2008, the 8th District DFL endorsed Oberstar for another term.

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Jim Oberstar, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *Michael Cummins, small business owner

General election

Predictions

CQ Politics forecast the race as 'Safe Democratic'.

Results

References

External links

Election Center
from the ''Minnesota Secretary of State''
Minnesota U.S. House Races
from ''2008 Race Tracker''
Campaign contributions for Minnesota congressional races
from OpenSecrets {{2008 United States elections

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Minnesota United States House of Representatives