Minnesota Secretary of State election, 2018

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2022
2014
Minnesota Secretary of State
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: June 5, 2018
Primary: August 14, 2018
General: November 6, 2018

Pre-election incumbent(s):
Steve Simon (Democrat)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Minnesota
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2018
Impact of term limits in 2018
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
Minnesota
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant governor
Attorney general
Secretary of state
Auditor

Minnesota held an election for secretary of state on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was June 5, 2018.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

For more information on secretary of state elections in 2018, click here.

SETTING THE STAGE
  • Heading into the 2018 election, the sitting secretary of state was Steve Simon (D), who was first elected in 2014.
  • At the time of the 2018 election, Minnesota was under divided government. It first gained this status in 2015, when Republicans gained a majority in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Minnesota was a Democratic triplex in 2018.
  • Minnesota had been won by the Democratic candidate in each of the five presidential elections leading up to the 2018 election. The widest margin of victory was Barack Obama's ten percent margin in 2008 while the narrowest was Hillary Clinton's two percent margin in 2016.

  • Candidates and election results

    General election

    General election for Minnesota Secretary of State

    Incumbent Steve Simon defeated John Howe and William Denney in the general election for Minnesota Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

    Candidate
    %
    Votes
    Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/SSimon.JPG
    Steve Simon (D)
     
    52.3
     
    1,328,502
    Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/John_Howe.jpg
    John Howe (R)
     
    43.6
     
    1,109,093
    Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/denney.jpg
    William Denney (Independence Party) Candidate Connection
     
    4.1
     
    103,610
     Other/Write-in votes
     
    0.1
     
    1,317

    Total votes: 2,542,522
    (100.00% precincts reporting)
    Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
    If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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    Democratic primary election

    The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Steve Simon advanced from the Democratic primary for Minnesota Secretary of State.

    Republican primary election

    The Republican primary election was canceled. John Howe advanced from the Republican primary for Minnesota Secretary of State.

    State overview

    Partisan control

    This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Minnesota heading into the 2018 elections.

    Congressional delegation

    State executives

    State legislature

    • Republicans had a 77-56 majority in the state House. The state Senate was tied, with 33 Republicans and 33 Democrats.

    Trifecta status

    • Minnesota was under divided government, meaning that the two parties shared control of the state government. Mark Dayton (D) served as governor, while Republicans controlled the state legislature.

    2018 elections

    See also: Minnesota elections, 2018

    Minnesota held elections for the following positions in 2018:

    Demographics

    Demographic data for Minnesota
     MinnesotaU.S.
    Total population:5,482,435316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):79,6273,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:84.8%73.6%
    Black/African American:5.5%12.6%
    Asian:4.4%5.1%
    Native American:1%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
    Two or more:2.7%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:5%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:92.4%86.7%
    College graduation rate:33.7%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$61,492$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:12.2%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Minnesota.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

    As of July 2016, Minnesota's three largest cities were Minneapolis (pop. est. 422,000), St. Paul (pop. est. 307,000), and Rochester (pop. est. 116,000).[1]

    State election history

    This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Minnesota from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Minnesota Secretary of State.

    Historical elections

    Presidential elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Minnesota every year from 2000 to 2016.

    Election results (President of the United States), Minnesota 2000-2016
    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2016 Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 46.4% Republican Party Donald Trump 44.9% 1.5%
    2012 Democratic Party Barack Obama 52.7% Republican Party Mitt Romney 45.0% 7.7%
    2008 Democratic Party Barack Obama 54.1% Republican Party John McCain 43.8% 10.3%
    2004 Democratic Party John Kerry 51.1% Republican Party George W. Bush 47.6% 3.5%
    2000 Democratic Party Al Gore 47.9% Republican Party George W. Bush 45.5% 2.4%

    U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Minnesota from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

    Election results (U.S. Senator), Minnesota 2000-2016
    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2014 Democratic Party Al Franken 53.2% Republican Party Mike McFadden 42.9% 10.3%
    2012 Democratic Party Amy Klobuchar 65.2% Republican Party Kurt Bills 30.5% 34.7%
    2008 Democratic Party Al Franken 41.99% Republican Party Norm Coleman 41.98% 0.01%
    2006 Democratic Party Amy Klobuchar 58.1% Republican Party Mark Kennedy 37.9% 20.2%
    2002 Republican Party Norm Coleman 49.5% Democratic Party Walter Mondale 47.3% 2.2%
    2000 Democratic Party Mark Dayton 48.8% Republican Party Rod Grams 43.3% 5.5%

    Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Minnesota.

    Election results (Governor), Minnesota 2000-2016
    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2014 Democratic Party Mark Dayton 50.1% Republican Party Jeff Johnson 44.5% 5.6%
    2010 Democratic Party Mark Dayton 43.6% Republican Party Tom Emmer 43.2% 0.4%
    2006 Republican Party Tim Pawlenty 46.7% Democratic Party Mike Hatch 45.7% 1.0%
    2002 Republican Party Tim Pawlenty 44.4% Democratic Party Roger Moe 36.5% 7.9%

    Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Minnesota in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

    Congressional delegation, Minnesota 2000-2016
    Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
    2016 Republican Party 3 37.5% Democratic Party 5 62.5% D+2
    2014 Republican Party 3 37.5% Democratic Party 5 62.5% D+2
    2012 Republican Party 3 37.5% Democratic Party 5 62.5% D+2
    2010 Republican Party 4 50.0% Democratic Party 4 50.0% Even
    2008 Republican Party 3 37.5% Democratic Party 5 62.5% D+2
    2006 Republican Party 3 37.5% Democratic Party 5 62.5% D+2
    2004 Republican Party 4 50.0% Democratic Party 4 50.0% Even
    2002 Republican Party 4 50.0% Democratic Party 4 50.0% Even
    2000 Republican Party 3 37.5% Democratic Party 5 62.5% D+2

    Trifectas, 1992-2017

    A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

    Minnesota Party Control: 1992-2024
    Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
    Governor R R R R R R R I I I I R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
    Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R D D D D R R R R R R D D
    House D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D R R D D R R R R D D D D D D


    Pivot Counties

    See also: Pivot Counties by state

    Nineteen of 87 Minnesota counties—21.8 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

    Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
    County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
    Beltrami County, Minnesota 9.72% 9.89% 10.15%
    Blue Earth County, Minnesota 3.69% 9.48% 12.95%
    Chippewa County, Minnesota 28.70% 1.87% 5.87%
    Clay County, Minnesota 1.95% 7.92% 16.02%
    Fillmore County, Minnesota 21.70% 7.34% 8.26%
    Freeborn County, Minnesota 17.24% 14.11% 17.13%
    Houston County, Minnesota 13.87% 3.16% 10.69%
    Itasca County, Minnesota 16.35% 9.83% 12.92%
    Kittson County, Minnesota 22.05% 6.03% 18.54%
    Koochiching County, Minnesota 19.85% 9.45% 10.10%
    Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota 25.60% 0.90% 5.92%
    Mahnomen County, Minnesota 2.92% 18.56% 25.31%
    Mower County, Minnesota 7.82% 22.61% 23.61%
    Nicollet County, Minnesota 3.04% 7.83% 10.52%
    Norman County, Minnesota 13.34% 10.79% 26.94%
    Rice County, Minnesota 3.06% 8.27% 11.50%
    Swift County, Minnesota 25.57% 9.83% 13.79%
    Traverse County, Minnesota 23.30% 4.44% 5.41%
    Winona County, Minnesota 2.90% 12.85% 19.09%

    In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Minnesota with 46.4 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 44.9 percent. In presidential elections between 1860 and 2016, Minnesota voted Republican 50 percent of the time and Democratic 47.5 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Minnesota voted Democratic all five times.[2]

    Presidential results by legislative district

    The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Minnesota. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[3][4]

    In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 68 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 27.6 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 62 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 30.4 points. Clinton won 12 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
    In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 66 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 12.3 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 72 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 23.8 points. Trump won seven districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


    Recent news

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Minnesota secretary of state election 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    See also

    Minnesota government:

    Elections:

    Ballotpedia exclusives:

    External links

    Footnotes