2014 Minnesota gubernatorial election

2014 Minnesota gubernatorial election

← 2010 November 4, 2014 2018 →

Nominee Mark Dayton Jeff Johnson Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Running mate Tina Smith Bill Kuisle Popular vote 989,113 879,257 Percentage 50.1% 44.5%

County results Precinct results Dayton:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Johnson:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Tie:      40–50%      50%      No votes

Governor before election Mark Dayton Democratic (DFL) Elected Governor Mark Dayton Democratic (DFL)

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v t e

The 2014 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor of Minnesota concurrently with the election to Minnesota's Class II U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

Incumbent Democratic–Farmer–Labor governor Mark Dayton ran for re-election to a second term in office.^[1] Incumbent Democratic lieutenant governor Yvonne Prettner Solon retired and Tina Smith was selected as his new running mate.^[2]

Primary elections were held on August 12, 2014. Dayton and Smith won the Democratic primary and the Republicans nominated Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson and his running mate former state representative Bill Kuisle. In the general election, Dayton and Smith defeated them and several other minor party candidates with just over 50% of the vote. Dayton's victory broke his own record, set in 2010, as the oldest Minnesota gubernatorial candidate to win an election; he was 67.^[3] It was also the first gubernatorial race since 1994 in which the winner received a majority of the votes cast.

The election was the first time since 1994 that a third party did not gain more than 6% of the total vote.