2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota

The 2006 congressional elections in Minnesota were held on November 7, 2006 to determine who would represent the state of Minnesota in the United States House of Representatives.

2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota
November 7, 2006 (2006-11-07)
All 8 Minnesota seats to the United States House of Representatives
  Majority party Minority party
 
Party Democratic (DFL) Republican
Last election 4 seats, 51.42% 4 seats, 45.42%
Seats before 4 4
Seats won 5 3
Seat change 1 1
Popular vote 1,152,621 924,636
Percentage 52.90% 42.43%
Swing 1.48% 2.99%
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Map of Minnesota showing all eight districts

Minnesota had eight seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 110th Congress from January 3, 2007 until January 3, 2009. The election coincided with the Senate election and the gubernatorial election.

Overview
United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota, 2006[1][2]
Party Votes Percentage Seats +/–
Democratic-Farmer-Labor 1,152,621 52.90% 5 +1
Republican 924,636 42.43% 3 -1
Independence 85,815 3.94% 0 —
Unity 5,508 0.25% 0 —
Green 4,792 0.23% 0 —
Constitution 3,303 0.15% 0 —
Others 2,299 0.11% 0 —
Totals 2,178,974 100.00% 8 —

District 1
See also: Minnesota's 1st congressional district

In his bid for a seventh term in Congress, incumbent Republican Congressman Gil Gutknecht faced off against Tim Walz, a high school teacher and the DFL nominee in this swing district based in southern Minnesota. Walz upset Gutknecht by a margin of 5.6%.

Candidates

Results
Democratic Primary Election [3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Tim Walz 26,475 100.00
Total votes 26,475 100.00

Candidates
  • Gil Gutknecht, incumbent U.S. Representative since 1995
  • Gregory Mikkelson

Results
Republican Primary Election [3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Gil Gutknecht (Incumbent) 24,725 87.29
Democratic (DFL) Gregory Mikkelson 3,600 12.71
Total votes 28,325 100.00

Results
Minnesota's 1st Congressional district election, 2006 [2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Tim Walz 141,556 52.74
Republican Gil Gutknecht (Incumbent) 126,486 47.12
Write-In Others 379 0.14
Total votes 268,421 100.00
Democratic (DFL) gain from Republican

District 2
See also: Minnesota's 2nd congressional district

Incumbent Republican Congressman John Kline ran for a third term in this conservative district based in the southern suburbs of the Twin Cities. Kline was opposed in the general election by Coleen Rowley, the DFL nominee and a former FBI agent, whom he defeated by a comfortable margin.

Results
Minnesota's 2nd Congressional district election, 2006 [2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Kline 163,269 56.20
Democratic (DFL) Coleen Rowley 116,343 40.04
Independence Douglas Williams 10,802 3.72
Write-In Others 126 0.04
Total votes 290,540 100.00
Republican hold

District 3
See also: Minnesota's 3rd congressional district

Incumbent Republican Congressman Jim Ramstad ran for what would be his ninth and final term in the United States Congress from this conservative district that encompassed the northern, western, and southern suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Paul in Hennepin County and Anoka County. Ramstad was opposed in his bid for reelection by the DFL nominee, local radio host Wendy Wilde, and he won overwhelmingly.

Candidates
  • Kevin Ray Smith
  • Gavin Sullivan
  • Wendy Wilde, local radio host

Results
Democratic Primary Election [3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Wendy Wilde 19,259 76.84
Democratic (DFL) Kevin Ray Smith 2,911 11.61
Democratic (DFL) Gavin Sullivan 2,894 11.55
Total votes 25,064 100.00

Candidates

Results
Republican Primary Election [3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jim Ramstad (Incumbent) 17,579 100.00
Total votes 17,579 100.00

Results
Minnesota's 3rd Congressional district election, 2006 [2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Jim Ramstad (Incumbent) 184,333 64.85
Democratic (DFL) Wendy Wilde 99,588 35.04
Write-In Others 323 0.11
Total votes 284,244 100.00
Republican hold

District 4
See also: Minnesota's 4th congressional district

In this staunchly liberal district comprising St. Paul and some northern suburbs, incumbent DFL Representative Betty McCollum ran for a fourth term, opposed by Republican Obi Sium, an employee of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. McCollum was in no danger of losing her seat, and won reelection with nearly 70% of the vote.

Candidates

Results
Democratic Primary Election [3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Betty McCollum (Incumbent) 37,397 100.00
Total votes 37,397 100.00

Candidates
  • Jack Shepard, fugitive, alleged arsonist, and former Minneapolis dentist who fled the country after allegedly attempting to burn down his own dental office[4]
  • Obi Sium, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources employee

Results
Republican Primary Election [3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Obi Sium 8,802 64.20
Republican Jack Shepard 4,908 35.80
Total votes 13,710 100.00

Results
Minnesota's 4th Congressional district election, 2006 [2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Betty McCollum (Incumbent) 172,096 69.54
Republican Obi Sium 74,797 30.23
Write-In Others 573 0.23
Total votes 247,466 100.00
Democratic (DFL) hold

District 5
See also: Minnesota's 5th congressional district

Rather than seek a 15th term in Congress, incumbent DFL Congressman Martin Olav Sabo decided to retire, creating an open seat. State Representative Keith Ellison beat out Mike Erlandson, Slabo's chief of staff; Ember Reichgott Junge, a former state senator; and Paul Ostrow, a Minneapolis City Councilman in the DFL primary. In the general election, Ellison faced off against businessman Alan Fine, the Republican nominee, and Tammy Lee, the Independence Party nominee, who had served as press secretary for United States Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota and communications director for Skip Humphrey's 1998 gubernatorial campaign. The district, based in Minneapolis and some suburbs located in Anoka County and Ramsey County, strongly supported DFL candidates, so Ellison was highly favored in the general election. Indeed, despite a surprisingly strong performance by Lee, Ellison emerged victorious, and became the first African-American Congressman from Minnesota and the first Muslim in Congress.

Candidates
  • Keith Ellison, State Representative from district 58B since 2003
  • Mike Erlandson, chief of staff of the office of Congressman Martin Olav Sabo
  • Andrew Vincent Favorite
  • Gregg A. Iverson
  • Paul Ostrow, Minneapolis City Councilor
  • Ember Reichgott Junge, former State Senator from district 46 (1983-2001)
  • Patrick J. Wiles

Results
Democratic Primary Election [3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Keith Ellison 29,003 41.21
Democratic (DFL) Mike Erlandson 21,857 31.06
Democratic (DFL) Ember Reichgott Junge 14,454 20.54
Democratic (DFL) Paul Ostrow 3,795 5.39
Democratic (DFL) Andrew Vincent Favorite 470 0.67
Democratic (DFL) Gregg A. Iverson 448 0.64
Democratic (DFL) Patrick J. Wiles 347 0.49
Total votes 70,374 100.00

Candidates
  • Tammy Lee, former press secretary to U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan, and former communications director of Skip Humphrey's 1998 gubernatorial campaign

Results
Independence Party Primary Election [3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Independence Tammy Lee 1,086 100.00
Total votes 1,086 100.00

Candidates
  • Alan Fine, businessman

Results
Democratic Primary Election [3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Alan Fine 7,352 100.00
Total votes 7,352 100.00

Results
Minnesota's 5th Congressional district election, 2006 [2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Keith Ellison 136,060 55.56
Republican Alan Fine 52,263 21.34
Independence Tammy Lee 51,456 21.01
Green Jay Pond 4,792 1.96
Write-In Others 334 0.14
Total votes 244,905 100.00
Democratic (DFL) hold

District 6
See also: Minnesota's 6th congressional district

Incumbent Republican Congressman Mark Kennedy declined to seek a fourth term in Congress, instead opting to run for Senate in the wake of then-Senator Mark Dayton's retirement. To replace him in this conservative-leaning district that encompassed the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, including St. Cloud, State Senator Michele Bachmann clinched the Republican nomination, while Patty Wetterling, a national advocate of children's safety and Kennedy's 2004 opponent, emerged as the DFL nominee once again. They were joined by Minnesota Independence Party candidate John Paul Binkowski. During the campaign, Wetterling attacked Bachmann for voting against increased restrictions on sex offenders, while Bachmann accused Wetterling of wanting to negotiate with terrorists, charges each denied.[5] Despite polling that indicated that the race would be close, and although this was the most expensive House race in Minnesota,[6] Bachmann defeated Wetterling by a large margin, with Binkowski receiving about 8%.

Results
Minnesota's 6th Congressional district election, 2006 [2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michele Bachmann 151,248 50.05
Democratic (DFL) Patty Wetterling 127,144 42.07
Independence John Paul Binkowski 23,557 7.80
Write-In Others 239 0.08
Total votes 302,188 100.00
Republican hold

District 7
See also: Minnesota's 7th congressional district

This conservative, rural district based in western Minnesota had been represented by DFL Congressman Collin Peterson since 1991, and this year, Peterson sought a ninth term in Congress. Despite the district's tendency to vote for Republicans at the national level, Peterson had been able to hold on to his seat with ease, and this year proved no different. Opposed by pharmacist Michael J. Barrett, the Republican nominee, and a few independent politicians, Peterson overwhelmingly won reelection with close to 70% of the vote.

Candidates

Results
Democratic Primary Election [3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Collin C. Peterson 33,732 86.03
Democratic (DFL) Erik Thompson 5,476 13.97
Total votes 39,208 100.00

Candidates
  • Michael J. Barrett, pharmacist

Results
Republican Primary Election [3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michael J. Barrett 20,475 100.00
Total votes 20,475 100.00

Results
Minnesota's 7th Congressional district election, 2006 [2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Collin C. Peterson (Incumbent) 179,164 69.66
Republican Michael J. Barrett 74,557 28.99
Constitution Ken Lucier 3,303 1.28
Write-In Others 170 0.07
Total votes 257,194 100.00
Democratic (DFL) hold

District 8
See also: Minnesota's 8th congressional district

This liberal-leaning district, based in the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota, had been represented since 1975 by DFL Congressman Jim Oberstar, the state's longest-serving Congressman. This year, he sought a 17th term and faced former United States Senator Rod Grams, who lived outside the district and had represented the 6th district in Congress twelve years earlier. Despite Grams's high stature and name recognition, he posed no serious threat to Oberstar, who was reelected in a landslide.

Minnesota's 8th Congressional district election, 2006 [2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) James L. Oberstar 180,670 63.61
Republican Rod Grams 97,683 34.39
Unity Harry Welty 5,508 1.94
Write-In Others 155 0.05
Total votes 284,016 100.00
Democratic (DFL) hold

References
  1. http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2006election.pdf
  2. http://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us/Results/USRepresentative/55
  3. http://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us/Results/USRepresentative/56
  4. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/20/support-jack-shepard-the_n_584138.html
  5. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/11/01/6distdebate
  6. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/11/08/6dist
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