The 2022 Minnesota Senate election was held in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

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 ...

on November 8, 2022, to elect members of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

of the 93rd Minnesota Legislature. A primary election was held in several districts on August 9, 2022. The election coincided with the

election 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 opera ...

of the other house of the

Legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

, 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 ...

, and other elections. 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 ...

retook control of the Senate from the

Minnesota Republican Party The Republican Party of Minnesota is the oldest active political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Minnesota Republican Party’s platform is relatively moderate. The party’s main issues are economic growth, education, healthcare, civi ...

, in addition to retaining the

Governorship A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, Secretary of State, and

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

, giving the DFL undivided control of government for the first time since 2014.

Background

The last election in 2020 resulted in the

Republican Party of Minnesota The Republican Party of Minnesota is the oldest active political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Minnesota Republican Party’s platform is relatively moderate. The party’s main issues are economic growth, education, healthcare, civi ...

retaining a majority of seats, after winning a majority from the

(DFL) only four years earlier in the previous election in 2016. Control of the Senate has alternated between the Republicans and the DFL every election since

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 ...

. All-Republican control of the Legislature ended when the DFL won a majority in the House in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Electoral system

The 67 members of the Senate will be elected from

single-member district A single-member district is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. Single-member districts are also sometimes called single-winner vo ...

s via

first-past-the-post voting In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...

for four-year terms. Contested nominations of recognized major parties ( DFL, Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis,

Legal Marijuana Now The Legal Marijuana Now Party is a political Third party (United States), third party in the United States. The party’s platform includes abolishing the Drug Enforcement Administration and legalizing hemp and cannabis (drug), marijuana. As of ...

, and

Republican 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 ...

) for each district will be determined by an open primary election. Minor party candidates will be nominated by petition.

Write-in candidate A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be poss ...

s must file a request with the Secretary of State's office for votes for them to be counted. Candidates for the state Senate in 2022 were required to file to run between May 17, 2022 and May 31, 2022.

Retiring members

Republican

* Bill Ingebrigsten, 8th *

Paul Gazelka Paul E. Gazelka ( ; born October 1, 1959) is an American politician and small business owner from Minnesota. A Republican, Gazelka was a member of the Minnesota Senate and was previously a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. In the s ...

, 9th * Carrie Ruud, 10th * Scott Newman, 18th * Mike Goggin, 21st *

Julie Rosen Julie A. Rosen (born August 9, 1957) is an American politician serving as a member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, she represents District 23, which includes all or portions of Blue Earth, Faribault, Jack ...

, 23rd *

Dave Senjem David Howard Senjem ( ; born December 20, 1942) is an American politician and member of the Minnesota Senate. He served as its majority leader from 2011 to 2013. A moderate Republican, Senjem has crossed party lines on many occasions, notably e ...

, 25th *

Mary Kiffmeyer Mary Kiffmeyer (born December 29, 1946) is an American politician. She served as Minnesota Secretary of State from 1999 to 2007 and went on to serves in the Minnesota legislature. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, she previously repr ...

, 30th * Michelle Benson, 31st *

David Osmek David Joseph Osmek ( ; born October 11, 1964) is an American politician and businessman who is a member of the Minnesota Senate. He has served as the 16th List of presidents of the Minnesota Senate, President of the Minnesota Senate since 2022. ...

, 33rd

DFL

Kent Eken Bernhard Kent Eken ( ; born December 12, 1963) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented Minnesota Senate, District 4, District 4, which ...

, 4th *

Jerry Newton Jerry Newton was the older brother of Wayne Newton. He and Wayne performed as the Rascals in Rhythm in Las Vegas as children, as well as later on ''The Jackie Gleason Show'' and ''Ozark Jubilee''. In the 1966 ''Bonanza'' episode "Unwritten Comma ...

, 37th * Chris Eaton, 40th * Chuck Wiger, 43rd * Ann Johnson Stewart, 44th * Melisa Lopez Franzen, 49th * Susan Kent, 53rd *

Karla Bigham Karla Bigham ( ; born March 9, 1979) is an American politician and member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 54. She is also a former Washington County Commissioner and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. She is a ...

, 54th * Greg Clausen, 57th *

Patricia Torres Ray Patricia Torres Ray (born March 25, 1964) is a Colombian-American politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represented District 63, which includes portions of sou ...

, 63rd

Independent

Tom Bakk Thomas M. Bakk ( ; born June 8, 1954) is a Minnesota politician and member of the Minnesota Senate. Currently independent and a former member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, Bakk represents District 3, which includes portions ...

, 3rd * David Tomassoni, 6th (died before election)

Reapportionment

Due to the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, the law required redistricting to occur before February 15, 2022, in order to give candidates ample notice before the legislative filing window in late May. Historically, the legislature has often been unable to agree on redistricting, leading to a court decision on the issue. In August 2021, hearings began in both the House and Senate Redistricting Committee, with the Senate committee members having their first meeting in

Bemidji Bemidji ( ) is a city and the county seat of Beltrami County, in northern Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,574 at the 2020 census. According to 2021 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 15,279, making it ...

on August 9, and the House committee members having their first meeting on August 18. A legal challenge was filed against the congressional and legislative maps, predicting that the state legislature would not draw valid maps and would malapportion the districts. On March 22, 2021, the

Minnesota Supreme Court The Minnesota Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The court hears cases in the Supreme Court chamber in the Minnesota State Capitol or in the nearby Minnesota Judicial Center. History The court wa ...

appointed a special redistricting panel, but issued a stay on its proceedings; on June 30, the Supreme Court appointed judges to the panel and allowed it to proceed with its appointed business. On February 15, 2022, after the Minnesota Legislature missed the redistricting deadline, the special redistricting panel released its own congressional and legislative maps.

Predictions

Results

2022 Minnesota Senate seats won by party

District results

District 1

District 2

District 3

District 4

District 5

District 6

District 7

District 8

District 9

District 10

District 11

District 12

District 13

District 14

District 15

District 16

District 17

District 18

District 19

District 20

District 21

District 22

District 23

District 24

District 25

District 26

District 27

District 28

District 29

District 30

District 31

District 32

District 33

District 34

District 35

District 36

District 37

District 38

District 39

District 40

District 41

District 42

District 43

District 44

District 45

District 46

District 47

District 48

District 49

District 50

District 51

District 52

District 53

District 54

District 55

District 56

District 57

District 58

District 59

District 60

District 61

District 62

District 63

District 64

District 65

District 66

District 67

References

External links

Elections & Voting - Minnesota Secretary of State
{{2022 United States elections Minnesota Senate elections

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are hel ...