2022 Minnesota gubernatorial election

The 2022 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Minnesota. Incumbent Democratic (DFL) Governor Tim Walz defeated the Republican nominee, former state senator Scott Jensen, winning a second term.

Jensen's advantage in rural Greater Minnesota could not overcome Walz's large lead in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, with Walz winning the election by a comfortable 7.7% margin. With his win, Walz gave the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party its fourth consecutive gubernatorial victory, the most in the party's history. Furthermore, the DFL held the State House and flipped the State Senate, gaining a trifecta for the first time since 2012.

Nominee

 * Tim Walz, incumbent governor and former U.S. representative for Minnesota's 1st congressional district (2007–2019)
 * Peggy Flanagan, incumbent lieutenant governor

Eliminated in primary

 * Ole Savior, perennial candidate
 * Julia M. Parker

Results
[[File:2022 Minnesota gubernatorial Democratic–Farmer–Labor primary election results map by county.svg|thumb|250px|Results by county: {{legend|#7996e2|Walz}}

{{legend|#3933e5|80–90%}}

{{legend|#0d0596|90-100%}} ]]

Nominee

 * Scott Jensen, family medicine physician and former state senator
 * Matt Birk, former professional football player with the Minnesota Vikings, businessman, and author

Eliminated in primary

 * Bob "Again" Carney Jr, candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020
 * Captain Jack Sparrow, perennial candidate
 * Joyce Lynne Lacey
 * Kent Edwards

Withdrawn

 * Michelle Benson, state senator
 * Thomas Evensted, activist
 * Paul Gazelka, state senator and former majority leader of the Minnesota Senate
 * Mike Marti, businessman
 * Mike Murphy, mayor of Lexington
 * Kendall Qualls, Army veteran, businessman, and Republican nominee for Minnesota's 3rd congressional district in 2020
 * Neil Shah, physician and business owner
 * Rich Stanek, former Hennepin County Sheriff

Declined

 * Rob Barrett, businessman, activist and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2020
 * Matt Birk, former Minnesota Vikings player (endorsed Jensen and became his running mate)
 * Jennifer Carnahan, former chair of the Minnesota Republican Party (2017–2021) and widow of U.S. Representative Jim Hagedorn (unsuccessfully ran for Congress in a 2022 special election)
 * Karin Housley, state senator and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2018 (ran for reelection)
 * Mike Lindell, inventor of My Pillow, businessman
 * Carla Nelson, state senator (ran for reelection) 
 * Pete Stauber, U.S. representative for Minnesota's 8th congressional district (ran for reelection)

Caucus
The caucuses took place on February 1, 2022. A caucus is a local meeting where all who intend to vote for the Republican Party are able to select their precinct leadership, participate in a straw poll for governor, write and pass resolutions, and elect delegates to their local Basic Political Organizational Unit (BPOU). Those who were not elected BPOU delegates could become alternates and fill in for delegates who cannot attend the BPOU convention.

BPOU conventions
A BPOU has boundaries based on the county or state senate district a voter resides in. The majority of these took place in March 2022. Elected delegates of each BPOU attended a convention relating to their district to vote on the resolutions passed at the caucus, complete party business, listen to candidates, and elect delegates to the state convention and their corresponding U.S. House District convention.

State convention
The Republican State Convention was held on May 13–14, 2022 in Rochester. 2,200 delegates were elected statewide to decide the Minnesota Republican Party's endorsement in all statewide offices. The endorsed candidate receives the party's backing, including money and resources, ahead of the August 9 primary. Only one Republican, incumbent governor Arne Carlson in 1994, has won the primary without the party's endorsement. (Two Democrats, Mark Dayton and Tim Walz, won the Democratic primary against endorsed candidates.)

At the convention, Scott Jensen won the endorsement with 65% of the vote on the ninth ballot, defeating Kendall Qualls. Mike Murphy, Paul Gazelka, and Neil Shah were eliminated on earlier ballots. All the candidates who contested the endorsement pledged to forego the primary if not endorsed.

Qualls soon honored his pledge by announcing his plans to "return to private life." Rich Stanek, the only major candidate who did not compete for the endorsement, did not file for the primary, leaving Jensen without major opposition. He faced two minor candidates in the August primary.

Results
[[File:2022 Minnesota gubernatorial Republican primary election results map by county.svg|thumb|250px|Results by county: {{legend|#e27f7f|Jensen}}

{{legend|#d72f30|70–80%}}

{{legend|#c21b18|80–90%}}

{{legend|#a80000|90–100%}}]]

Nominee

 * Steve Patterson, anti-lockdown activist
 * Matt Huff

Eliminated in primary

 * Darrell Paulsen, business consultant, nominee for lieutenant governor in 1998
 * Edwin Engelmann, nominee for lieutenant governor in 2010

Results
[[File:2022_Minnesota_gubernatorial_Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis_primary_election_results_map_by_county.svg|thumb|250x250px|Results by county:{{legend|#73bc84|Patterson}}

{{legend|#73bc84|50–60%}}

{{legend|#3fa457|60–70%}}

{{legend|#008c21|70–80%}}

{{legend|#006e1a|80–90%}}

{{legend|#005113|90–100%}}{{legend|#c0a32f|Paulsen}}

{{legend|#c0a32f|50–60%}}

{{legend|#a88600|60–70%}}

{{legend|#907300|70–80%}}

{{legend|#735c00|80–90%}}

{{legend|#564500|90–100%}}{{legend|#808080|No votes}}]]

Nominee

 * James McCaskel, community organizer and BLM activist
 * David Sandbeck, activist and candidate for Minnesota's 4th congressional district in 2020

Eliminated in primary

 * Chris Wright, perennial candidate
 * L.C. Lawrence Converse

Results
[[File:2022_Minnesota_gubernatorial_Legal_Marijuana_Now_primary_election_results_map_by_county.svg|thumb|250x250px|Results by county:{{legend|#d79346|McCaskel}}

{{legend|#d79346|50–60%}}

{{legend|#c56900|60–70%}}

{{legend|#b25f00|70–80%}}

{{legend|#904d00|80–90%}}

{{legend|#6e3b00|90–100%}}{{legend|#c88fe4|Wright}}

{{legend|#c88fe4|50–60%}}

{{legend|#b368d9|60–70%}}

{{legend|#9d40cc|70–80%}}

{{legend|#7c31a2|80–90%}}

{{legend|#5c2378|90–100%}}{{legend|#808080|No votes}}]]

Other parties

 * Gabrielle M. Prosser, restaurant worker (Socialist Workers)
 * Kevin A. Dwire, perennial candidate
 * Hugh McTavish, scientist, entrepreneur and author (Independence-Alliance Party)
 * Mike Winter, commercial driver, podcast host, Teamster Union steward and candidate for mayor of Minneapolis in 2021

Withdrew

 * Cory Hepola, former WCCO Radio host (Forward Party)
 * Tamara Uselman, school administrator
 * Brandon Millholland-Corcoran

Declined

 * Tom Bakk, state senator and DFL candidate for governor in 2010
 * Christopher Chamberlin, candidate for governor, Senate, and House in 2018
 * Richard Painter, University of Minnesota Law School professor, former chief White House ethics lawyer, and DFL candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018 (ran for Congress)

Campaign
The election's central issues were the economy, rising crime, Walz's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, education, and abortion access following the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

Walz campaigned on his first-term accomplishments, such as middle-class tax cuts, while making abortion rights a prominent focus of the campaign and attacking Jensen on abortion and his COVID-19 skepticism. Jensen attacked Walz over his COVID-19 policies, crime in the Twin Cities, inflation and gas prices, and education performance.

Jensen was criticized for promoting the hoax that schools provided litter boxes to students who identify as furries.

Polling

 * Aggregate polls
 * Graphical summary


 * Tim Walz vs. Michelle Benson
 * Tim Walz vs. Paul Gazelka
 * Tim Walz vs. Mike Marti
 * Tim Walz vs. Mike Murphy
 * Tim Walz vs. Kendall Qualls
 * Tim Walz vs. Neil Shah
 * Tim Walz vs. Rich Stanek
 * Tim Walz vs. generic Republican

By county

 * Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
 * Anoka (Largest city: Blaine)
 * Beltrami (Largest city: Bemidji)
 * Freeborn (Largest city: Albert Lea)
 * Houston (Largest city: La Crescent)
 * Koochiching (Largest city: International Falls)
 * Mahnomen (Largest city: Mahnomen)
 * Mower (Largest city: Austin)
 * Norman (Largest city: Ada) (tied in 2018)

By congressional district
Walz and Jensen each won 4 of 8 congressional districts, all of which voted for the same party in the simultaneous House Elections.