The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the eight

U.S. representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, one from each of the state's eight

congressional districts Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...

. The elections coincided with the

2016 U.S. presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial United States presidential election, presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican Party (United States), Republican ticket of businessman Donald ...

, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives,

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

to the

United States Senate 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 pow ...

and various

and

local elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

. The primaries were held on August 9. This is the last cycle Democrats won either the 1st or 8th district.

Overview

District 1

Democrat

Tim Walz Timothy James Walz ( ; born April 6, 1964) is an American politician and retired educator. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he has served as the 41st governor of Minnesota since 2019. Born in West Point, Nebraska, Walz ...

of the

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party. As of 2022, it controls four of Minnesota's eight U.S. House seats, both of its U.S. Senate seats, the Minnesota House of Represen ...

defeated Republican

Jim Hagedorn James Lee Hagedorn ( ; August 4, 1962 – February 17, 2022) was an American politician from Minnesota. A Republican, he was the U.S. Representative for from 2019 until his death. The district stretches across southern Minnesota along the border ...

to retain his seat.

Republican primary

Candidates

, blogger, candidate in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

and nominee in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

* Steve Williams

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

General election

Results

District 2

Republican John Kline had represented Minnesota's second district since 2003, but announced that he would not seek re-election in 2016. Jason Lewis won the district's Republican primary, defeating opponents Matthew Erickson, John Howe, and Darlene Miller. Democrat Angela Craig, who served as vice president of global human resources for St. Jude Medical, resigned her position in January 2015 to challenge Lewis. Mary Lawrence, a doctor, also ran as a Democrat but dropped out before the primary. Commentators wrote that the election was "likely to be one of the most-watched congressional races in the country," (''

MinnPost ''MinnPost'' is a nonprofit online newspaper in Minneapolis, founded in 2007, with a focus on Minnesota news. Funding ''MinnPosts initial funding of $850,000 came from four families: John and Sage Cowles, Lee Lynch and Terry Saario, Joel and ...

''), "expected to be one of the most competitive in the country", according to ''

Roll Call ''Roll Call'' is a newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C., United States, when the United States Congress is in session, reporting news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of c ...

'' newspaper, and "seen as a prime target for Democrats to flip" according to ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

''. Area left-wing weekly ''

City Pages ''City Pages'' was an alternative newspaper serving the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. It featured news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews and music criticism, available free every Wednesday. It ceased publication in 2020 due to a ...

'' described the campaign as resembling the 2016 presidential campaign, calling Lewis "an entrepreneur and media personality, whose blunt rhetoric is refreshingly honest to some, simply offensive to others", and describing Craig as "a tough female leader with moderate positions, ties to big business, and a penchant for pantsuits". In May 2016, the Rothenberg and Gonzales Political Report changed its rating of the race from "pure tossup" to "tossup/tilt Democratic," with political analyst Nathan Gonzales writing that Craig "is probably to the left of the district in her ideology, but she has a good story to tell, is raising considerable money (she had $1.3 million in the bank at the end of March) and is solid as a candidate." Other political prognosticators rated the race "Republican Toss-up" (Charlie Cook), and "pure" toss-up (Larry Sabato's "Crystal Ball"), according to MinnPost. Lewis ended up defeating Craig by several thousand votes in the November.

Republican primary

Candidates

;Declared * John Howe, former state senator, former mayor of Red Wing and candidate for

Minnesota Secretary of State The secretary of state of Minnesota is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. State of Minnesota. Twenty-two individuals have held the office of secretary of state since statehood. The incumbent is Steve Simon, ...

* Jason Lewis, political commentator, former talk radio host and nominee for CO-02 in

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

* Darlene Miller, president and CEO of Permac Industries and member of the

President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness The President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, originally the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board (PERAB), was an ad hoc panel of non-governmental experts from business, labor, academia and elsewhere that President of the United State ...

* Matthew Erickson, Minnesota spokesperson for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

;Withdrawn * David Benson-Staebler, political consultant, former Democratic congressional aide and real estate agent * David Gerson, engineer and candidate in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and

Pam Myhra Pamela J. Myhra (born 1957) is an American politician and served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives during the 87th and 88th legislative sessions. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, she represented portions of Dakota ...

, former state representative and candidate for lieutenant governor in

;Declined *

Tony Albright Anthony Albright (born April 2, 1962) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, he represented District 55B in the southwestern Twin Cities metropolitan ar ...

, state representative *

Ted Daley Theodore J. "Ted" Daley (born March 15, 1966) is a Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate who represented District 38, which included most of Eagan and a small portion of Burnsville in Dakota County, which is in the so ...

, former state senator *

Steve Drazkowski Steve Drazkowski (born November 27, 1964) is an American politician serving as a member of the Minnesota Senate from District 20, representing all of Wabasha County, large parts of Olmsted County, Goodhue County, and Winona County, and a small ...

, state representative *

Pat Garofalo Patrick "Pat" Garofalo (born September 23, 1971) is an American politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, he represents District 58B, which includes portions of Dakota and G ...

, state representative * John Kline, incumbent U.S. Representative * John Kriesel, former state representative *

Mike McFadden Michael Frederick McFadden (born September 7, 1964) is an American businessperson and the co-CEO of Lazard Middle Market, a Minneapolis-based investment bank. McFadden was the 2014 Republican nominee for the United States Senate in Minnesota again ...

, businessman and nominee for U.S. Senate in

* Mary Pawlenty, former Dakota County District Court Judge and former First Lady of Minnesota * Roz Peterson, state representative * Eric Pratt, state senator *

Steve Sviggum Steven A. "Steve" Sviggum is a Minnesota politician, a member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, and an executive assistant to and communications director for the Republican caucus in the Minnesota Senate. A former Speaker and memb ...

, former

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

* Dave Thompson, state senator and candidate for governor in

Endorsements

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

;Declared *

Angie Craig Angela Dawn Craig (born February 14, 1972) is an American politician, retired journalist, and former businesswoman. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she has served as the U.S. representative from since 2019. The distric ...

, former St. Jude Medical executive ;Withdrawn * Roger Kittelson, dairy marketing specialist, nominee for WI-06 in

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; ...

and candidate for Minnesota House of Representatives in 1982 and

* Mary Lawrence, ophthalmologist ;Declined *

Joe Atkins Joseph Atkins (born October 6, 1965) is a Minnesota attorney and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 52B, which included portions of ...

, state representative *

Rick Hansen Richard Marvin Hansen (born August 26, 1957) is a Canadian track and field athlete (Paralympic Games), activist, and philanthropist for people with disabilities. Following a pickup truck crash at the age of 15, Hansen sustained a spinal cord ...

, state representative *

Mike Obermueller Michael Edward Obermueller (born April 21, 1973) is a Minnesota lawyer and politician, a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. He represented District 38B in the southeastern Twin Cities metropolitan area from 2009 to 2011. In 2 ...

, former state representative and nominee in

and

Endorsements

Results

General election

Polling

Results

District 3

Republican

Erik Paulsen Erik Philip Paulsen (born May 14, 1965) is an American businessman and politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 2009 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Minnesota House of Representat ...

retained his seat, comfortably defeating DFL State Senator

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 ...

General election

Polling

Results

District 4

Democrat

Betty McCollum Betty Louise McCollum (born July 12, 1954) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving since 2001. She is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). McCollum's district centers on St. Paul, Minnesota's ...

retained her seat over Republican challenger Greg Ryan.

Republican primary

Candidates

* Greg Ryan * Gene Rechtzigel * Nikolay Nikolayevich Bey

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

, incumbent U.S. Representative * Steve Carlson

Results

General election

Results

District 5

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 ...

retained his seat, comfortably defeating Republican Frank Nelson Drake and a third party challenger.

Democratic primary

, incumbent U.S. Representative * Gregg Iverson, perennial candidate * Lee Bauer

Results

Republican primary

* Frank Nelson Drake

Results

General election

Results

District 6

First term incumbent Republican

Tom Emmer Thomas Earl Emmer Jr.Helgeson, Baird, ''Star Tribune'', July 11, 2010. (born March 3, 1961) is an American attorney and politician who has been the U.S. representative for since 2015. The district includes most of the Twin Cities' far northern s ...

defeated DFL candidate David Snyder.

Republican primary

Candidates

, incumbent U.S. Representative * A.J. Kern * Patrick Munro

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

* David Snyder * Judy Evelyn Adams * Bob Helland

Results

General election

Results

District 7

Democrat

Collin Peterson Collin Clark Peterson (born June 29, 1944) is an American accountant and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1991 to 2021. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, or the DFL. he was chairman of the Hous ...

retained his seat, defeating Republican challenger Dave Hughes.

Republican primary

* Dave Hughes * Amanda Lynn Hinson

Results

Democratic primary

, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

General election

Results

District 8

Democrat

Rick Nolan Richard Michael Nolan (born December 17, 1943) is an American politician and businessman who served as the U.S. representative from Minnesota's 8th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. He previously served as the U.S. representative from Mi ...

retained his seat, defeating Republican Stewart Mills III in the 2016 election. It was Nolan's second victory over Mills, who unsuccessfully challenged Nolan in the 2014 election. Though Nolan's margin of victory in 2016 (2,009 votes) was too large to trigger a publicly funded automatic recount, Mills, as of late November 2016, has said that he plans to request and pay for a hand recount of all votes cast in the eighth district, as is his right under law. Mills plans to cover the cost of the recount—just over $100,000— himself. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnesota has not seen a recount in a race for the House of Representatives since the year 2000, when election day totals in

Minnesota's 2nd congressional district Minnesota's 2nd congressional district (current) covers the south Twin Cities metro area and contains all of Scott, Dakota, Goodhue, and Wabasha counties. It also contains part of northern and eastern Rice County including the city of Nort ...

fell within the half percentage point threshold, thus triggering a state funded recount. It is not known if Mills's request for a privately funded recount has precedent in Minnesota's electoral history, at least as it pertains to elections for the House of Representatives.

General election

Endorsements

Polling

Results

References

External links

U.S. House elections in Minnesota, 2016
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

Campaign contributions
at

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). ...

{{2016 United States elections

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

2016 Minnesota elections