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Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020

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2022
2018
Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: June 2, 2020
Primary: August 11, 2020
General: November 3, 2020

Pre-election incumbent:
Dean Phillips (Democrat)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Minnesota
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
See also
Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th
Minnesota elections, 2020
U.S. Congress elections, 2020
U.S. Senate elections, 2020
U.S. House elections, 2020

All U.S. congressional districts, including the 3rd Congressional District of Minnesota, held elections in 2020.

Incumbent Dean Phillips won election in the general election for U.S. House Minnesota District 3.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
June 2, 2020
August 11, 2020
November 3, 2020


Heading into the election the incumbent was Democrat Dean Phillips, who was first elected in 2018.

Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District encompasses portions of Anoka, Hennepin, and Carver counties.[1]

Post-election analysis

The table below compares the vote totals in the 2020 presidential election and 2020 U.S. House election for this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

Presidential and congressional election results, Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District, 2020
Race Presidential U.S. House
Democratic candidate Democratic Party 58.7 55.6
Republican candidate Republican Party 39.4 44.3
Difference 19.3 11.3

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Minnesota modified its absentee/mail-in voting and candidate filing procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

  • Absentee/mail-in voting: The absentee/mail-in ballot postmark deadline was extended to November 3, 2020; the receipt deadline was extended to November 10, 2020. The witness requirement for absentee/mail-in ballots was suspended.
  • Candidate filing procedures: General election candidates were allowed to submit filing forms and petitions electronically.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

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Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 3

Incumbent Dean Phillips defeated Kendall Qualls in the general election for U.S. House Minnesota District 3 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dean Phillips
Dean Phillips (D)
 
55.6
 
246,666
Image of Kendall Qualls
Kendall Qualls (R) Candidate Connection
 
44.3
 
196,625
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
312

Total votes: 443,603
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 3

Incumbent Dean Phillips defeated Cole Young in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 3 on August 11, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dean Phillips
Dean Phillips
 
90.7
 
73,011
Image of Cole Young
Cole Young
 
9.3
 
7,443

Total votes: 80,454
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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 3

Kendall Qualls defeated Leslie Davis in the Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 3 on August 11, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kendall Qualls
Kendall Qualls Candidate Connection
 
75.9
 
25,405
Image of Leslie Davis
Leslie Davis
 
24.1
 
8,060

Total votes: 33,465
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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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.

District analysis

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+1, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 1 percentage point more Democratic than the national average. This made Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District the 189th most Democratic nationally.[5]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.98. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.98 points toward that party.[6]

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[7]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[8][9][10]

Race ratings: Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District election, 2020
Race trackerRace ratings
November 3, 2020October 27, 2020October 20, 2020October 13, 2020
The Cook Political ReportSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid Democratic
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid DemocraticSolid Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe DemocraticSafe Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

Candidate ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for 3rd Congressional District candidates in Minnesota in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Minnesota, click here.

Filing requirements, 2020
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
Minnesota 3rd Congressional District Major party 0 N/A $300.00 Fixed number 6/2/2020 Source
Minnesota 3rd Congressional District Unaffiliated 1,000 Fixed number N/A N/A 6/2/2020 Source

District election history

2018

See also: Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 3

Dean Phillips defeated incumbent Erik Paulsen in the general election for U.S. House Minnesota District 3 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dean Phillips
Dean Phillips (D)
 
55.6
 
202,404
Image of Erik Paulsen
Erik Paulsen (R)
 
44.2
 
160,839
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
706

Total votes: 363,949
(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.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 3

Dean Phillips defeated Cole Young in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 3 on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dean Phillips
Dean Phillips
 
81.6
 
56,677
Image of Cole Young
Cole Young
 
18.4
 
12,784

Total votes: 69,461
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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 3

Incumbent Erik Paulsen advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 3 on August 14, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Erik Paulsen
Erik Paulsen
 
100.0
 
39,077

Total votes: 39,077
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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2016

See also: Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as a race to watch. Incumbent Erik Paulsen (R) defeated Terri Bonoff (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Neither candidate faced a primary opponent in August.[11][12]

U.S. House, Minnesota District 3 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngErik Paulsen Incumbent 56.7% 223,077
     Democratic Terri Bonoff 43% 169,243
     N/A Write-in 0.3% 1,144
Total Votes 393,464
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State

2014

See also: Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District elections, 2014

The 3rd Congressional District of Minnesota held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Erik Paulsen (R) defeated Sharon Sund (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Minnesota District 3 General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngErik Paulsen Incumbent 62.1% 167,515
     Democratic Sharon Sund 37.8% 101,846
     N/A Write-in 0.1% 224
Total Votes 269,585
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State

See also

External links

Footnotes


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
Tom Emmer (R)
District 7
District 8
Democratic Party (6)
Republican Party (4)