United States Senate elections in Minnesota, 2014

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U.S. Senate, Minnesota General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngAl Franken Incumbent 53.2% 1,053,205
     Republican Mike McFadden 42.9% 850,227
     Libertarian Heather Johnson 1.5% 29,685
     Independence Steve Carlson 2.4% 47,530
     N/A Write-in 0% 881
Total Votes 1,981,528
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State



CongressLogo.png

2014 U.S. Senate Elections in Minnesota

General Election Date
November 4, 2014

Primary Date
August 12, 2014

November 4 Election Winner:
Al Franken Democratic Party
Incumbent prior to election:
Al Franken Democratic Party
Al Franken.jpg

Race Ratings
Cook Political Report: Likely D[1]

Sabato's Crystal Ball: Leans D[2]


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2014 U.S. House Elections

Flag of Minnesota.png

Voters in Minnesota re-elected Al Franken (D) to the U.S. Senate in the election on November 4, 2014. In 2012 Franken defeated Republican challenger Kurt Bills by 65.2 to 30.5 percent.

Incumbent Franken, who was first elected in 2008, defeated challenger Mike McFadden (R) in the general election.

On October 1, 2014, both candidates squared off in their first debate before the general election. McFadden's campaign paid to have the debate replayed on public television stating that voters deserve more chances to hear about the issues being discussed.[3]

Franken's opponent in the primary, Sandra Henningsgard, did not filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) as of the April Quarterly report deadline. Franken easily defeated her in the Democratic primary on August 12, 2014.[4]

At the Minnesota GOP convention, Mike McFadden received the most votes from delegates, earning him the GOP endorsement, so most of the other candidates dropped out of the race to honor the party's decision.[5] Jim Abeler, along with a few others, decided to continue running against McFadden in the primary despite the party's endorsement of McFadden.[6] According to the Republican primary polls, McFadden maintained a significant lead over Abeler, and McFadden also had more cash on hand to spend on the election. McFadden easily defeated Abeler and three other Republican candidates for the Republican nomination in the primary on August 12, 2014.[4]

Candidate Filing Deadline Primary Election General Election
June 3, 2014
August 12, 2014
November 4, 2014

Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Minnesota utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[7][8][9]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters needed to register on election day, or pre-register by July 22, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 14, 2014 (21 days days prior to the election).[10]

See also: Minnesota elections, 2014

Incumbent: The election filled the Senate seat held by Al Franken (D). Franken was first elected in 2008.

Candidates

General election candidates


August 12, 2014, primary results

Democratic Party Democratic Primary


Independence Party of America Independence Party Primary

Republican Party Republican Primary


Libertarian Party Libertarian Primary

Withdrew from race


Results

General election

The state of Minnesota held an election for the U.S. Senate on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Al Franken (D) defeated challengers Mike McFadden (R), Heather Johnson (L) and Steve Carlson (IND) in the general election.

U.S. Senate, Minnesota General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngAl Franken Incumbent 53.2% 1,053,205
     Republican Mike McFadden 42.9% 850,227
     Libertarian Heather Johnson 1.5% 29,685
     Independence Steve Carlson 2.4% 47,530
     N/A Write-in 0% 881
Total Votes 1,981,528
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State

Primary election

U.S. Senate, Minnesota Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngAl Franken Incumbent 94.5% 182,720
Sandra Henningsgard 5.5% 10,627
Total Votes 193,347
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State
U.S. Senate, Minnesota Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngMike McFadden 71.7% 129,601
Jim Abeler 14.8% 26,714
David Carlson 9.1% 16,449
Patrick Munro 2.8% 5,058
Ole Savior 1.6% 2,840
Total Votes 180,662
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State
U.S. Senate, Minnesota Independence Party Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngSteve Carlson 33.9% 2,148
Kevin Terrell 21.7% 1,376
Jack Shepard 17.8% 1,130
Stephen Williams 13.6% 862
Tom Books 12.9% 820
Total Votes 6,336
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State

Race background

State GOP convention

On May 31, 2014, delegates at Minnesota's state GOP convention voted to support candidate Mike McFadden for U.S. Senate. The decision was not unanimous, and took ten ballots to reach a decision.[5] State Sen. Julianne Ortman dropped out after the fifth vote, and after the seventh vote, Chris Dahlberg was in the lead, but short of the 60 percent of votes necessary to receive the endorsement.[15] Eventually, McFadden won out. One delegate who switched his vote from Dahlberg to McFadden stated, "There was a general belief that McFadden would win a primary and it would be best to have the endorsement go to the eventual winner."[16] Many viewed McFadden as a likely candidate to defeat incumbent Al Franken in the general election due to McFadden's success in fundraising. He had raised almost $3 million at the time of the convention.[5] Both Ortman and Dahlberg agreed not to run in the primary if they did not receive the endorsement, but Jim Abeler said that he had not yet decided if he would run against McFadden.[17] Abeler later decided that he would run in the primary.[11]

Endorsements

Mike McFadden

Mike McFadden received the following endorsements:

Polls

Republican primary polls

Republican primary candidates
Poll Jim Abeler Chris DahlbergMike McFaddenJulianne OrtmanMonti MorenoPhillip ParishDavid CarlsonDavid LatvaahoUndecidedRefusedMargin of ErrorSample Size
Suffolk University Political Research Center (April 24–28, 2014)[21]
7.58%1.52%11.62%14.14%0.00%0.51%1.01%0.51%62.63%0.51%+/-6.96198
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org
Mike McFadden vs. Jim Abeler
Poll Mike McFadden Jim AbelerOtherUndecidedMargin of ErrorSample Size
SurveyUSA (June 5-9, 2014)
44%16%19%21%+/-5404
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

General election polls

General election candidates
Poll Al Franken (D) Mike McFadden (R)Steve Carlson (I)Margin of ErrorSample Size
Gravis Marketing (July 2-3, 2014)
51%35%13%+/-3879
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org
Al Franken vs. Mike McFadden
Poll Al Franken Mike McFaddenIndependence Party nomineeSomeone elseUndecidedRefusedMargin of ErrorSample Size
Mason-Dixon Polling and Research Inc. (September 8-10, 2014)
49%36%0%0%11%0%+/-3.5800
Rasmussen Reports (August 13-14, 2014)
50%42%0%0%0%0%+/-4750
Public Policy Polling (June 12-15, 2014)
49%38%0%0%13%0%+/-3.9633
KSTP/SurveyUSA (June 5-9, 2014)
48%42%4%1%5%0%+/-3.11,017
Suffolk University Political Research Center (April 24–28, 2014)[21]
44.00%28.63%2.63%4.38%19.50%0.88%+/-3.5800
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Note: A response of "0%" may indicate that the answer choice was not offered in that poll.

Al Franken vs. Jim Abeler
Poll Al Franken Jim AbelerIndependence Party nomineeSomeone elseUndecidedRefusedMargin of ErrorSample Size
Public Policy Polling (June 12-15, 2014)
50%39%0%0%11%0%+/-3.9633
KSTP/SurveyUSA (June 5-9, 2014)
48%39%6%2%5%0%+/-3.11,017
Suffolk University Political Research Center (April 24–28, 2014)[21]
44.50%28.63%3.63%4.00%19.00%0.25%+/-3.5800
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org
Al Franken vs. Chris Dahlberg
Poll Al Franken Chris DahlbergIndependence Party nomineeSomeone elseUndecidedRefusedMargin of ErrorSample Size
Suffolk University Political Research Center (April 24–28, 2014)[21]
44.50%28.25%3.75%3.75%19.00%0.88%+/-3.5800
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org
Al Franken vs. Julianne Ortman
Poll Al Franken Julianne OrtmanIndependence Party nomineeSomeone elseUndecidedRefusedMargin of ErrorSample Size
Suffolk University Political Research Center (April 24–28, 2014)[21]
43.63%28.63%3.75%3.63%19.63%0.75%+/-3.5800
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org

Campaign contributions

Candidate ballot access
Ballot Access Requirements Final.jpg

Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Al Franken

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Franken's reports.[22]

Mike McFadden

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are McFadden's reports.[29]

Mike McFadden (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period
ExpendituresCash on Hand
July Quarterly[30]July 15, 2013$0.00$764,823.40$(23,376.78)$741,446.62
October Quarterly[31]October 15, 2013$741,446.62$705,047.19$(194,406.61)$1,252,087.20
Year-End[32]January 13, 2013$1,252,087.20$779,598.61$(346,882.55)$1,684,803.26
April Quarterly[33]April 15, 2014$1,684,803.26$603,317.26$(496,819.63)$1,791,300.89
July Quarterly[34]July 15, 2014$1,791,300$1,115,233$(872,140)$2,034,140
Running totals
$3,968,019.46$(1,933,625.57)

Chris Dahlberg

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Dahlberg's reports.[35]

Chris Dahlberg (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period
ExpendituresCash on Hand
Year-End[36]January 23, 2014$0.00$103,048.29$(56,080.67)$46,967.62
April Quarterly[37]April 14, 2014$46,967.62$45,328.56$(53,173.03)$39,123.15
Running totals
$148,376.85$(109,253.7)

Jim Abeler

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Abeler's reports.[38]

Jim Abeler (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period
ExpendituresCash on Hand
October Quarterly[39]October 14, 2013$3,800.00$56,423.63$(25,654.93)$34,568.70
Year-End[40]January 30, 2014$34,568.70$26,726.00$(36,488.25)$24,806.45
April Quarterly[41]April 14, 2014$24,806.45$28,218.03$(39,141.29)$13,883.19
Running totals
$111,367.66$(101,284.47)

Julianne Ortman

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Ortman's reports.[42]

Julianne Ortman (2014) Campaign Finance Reports
ReportDate FiledBeginning BalanceTotal Contributions
for Reporting Period
ExpendituresCash on Hand
October Quarterly[43]October 15, 2013$0.00$119,466.00$(31,344.90)$88,121.10
Year-End[44]February 3, 2014$88,121.10$118,513.63$(88,965.62)$117,669.11
April Quarterly[45]April 14, 2014$117,669.11$373,406.12$(257,827.08)$233,248.15
Running totals
$611,385.75$(378,137.6)

Media

Al Franken

American Encore attacks Al Franken for regulations on the political role of nonprofits.[46]

Mike McFadden

McFadden 2014 campaign ad

Election history

2014

U.S. Senate, Minnesota General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngAl Franken Incumbent 53.2% 1,053,205
     Republican Mike McFadden 42.9% 850,227
     Libertarian Heather Johnson 1.5% 29,685
     Independence Steve Carlson 2.4% 47,530
     N/A Write-in 0% 881
Total Votes 1,981,528
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State

2012

On November 6, 2012, Amy Klobuchar won re-election to the United States Senate. She defeated Kurt Bills, Stephen Williams, Timothy Davis, and Michael Cavlan in the general election.

U.S. Senate, Minnesota General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngAmy Klobuchar Incumbent 65.2% 1,854,595
     Republican Kurt Bills 30.5% 867,974
     Independence Stephen Williams 2.6% 73,539
     Grassroots Tim Davis 1.1% 30,531
     Progressive Michael Cavlan 0.5% 13,986
Total Votes 2,843,207
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State, "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" (dead link)

2008

On November 4, 2008, Al Franken (D) won election to the United States Senate. He defeated Norm Coleman (R), Dean Barkley (I), Charles Aldrich (L), James Niemackl (C), Michael Cavlan (I, write-in), and Anthony Keith Price (I, write-in) in the general election. He won election after a hand recount of the vote and a legal battle that concluded in June 2009.[48][49]

U.S. Senate, Minnesota General Election, 2008
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngAl Franken 42% 1,212,629
     Republican Norm Coleman Incumbent 42% 1,212,317
     Independent Dean Barkley 15.2% 437,505
     Libertarian Charles Aldrich 0.5% 13,923
     Constitution James Niemackl 0.3% 8,907
     Independent Michael Cavlan 0% 13
     Independent Anthony Keith Price 0% 12
     Independent Write-In 0.1% 2,340
Total Votes 2,887,646

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. Cook Political Report, "2014 Senate Race Ratings for August 22, 2014," accessed August 25, 2014
  2. Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 Senate Races," accessed August 25, 2014
  3. CBS News, "Mike McFadden pays to rebroadcast Senate Debate," October 10, 2014
  4. 4.0 4.1 Associated Press, "Minnesota - 2014 Primary Results," accessed August 12, 2014
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Star Tribune, "McFadden clinches GOP endorsement for Senate," accessed June 3, 2014
  6. ABC Newspapers, "Abeler to challenge McFadden in U.S. Senate primary race," accessed June 30, 2014
  7. NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," accessed April 25, 2023
  8. Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
  9. Minnesota Secretary of State,"PRIMARY ELECTION," accessed April 25, 2023
  10. Minnesota Secretary of State Website, "How to Register," accessed January 3, 2014
  11. 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 Minnesota Secretary of State, "2014 State General Election Candidate Filings," accessed June 11, 2014
  12. Washington Post "Businessman Mike McFadden to challenge Sen. Al Franken" accessed June 10, 2013
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 Star Tribune, "County commissioner plans to join U.S. Senate race, and already has a big backer", accessed August 23, 2013
  14. 14.0 14.1 Star Tribune, "McFadden clinches GOP endorsement for Senate," accessed June 3, 2014
  15. Twin Cities, "Minnesota GOP: McFadden endorsed for Senate on 10th ballot," accessed June 3, 2014
  16. MinnPost, "McFadden wins Minnesota GOP U.S. Senate endorsement on 10th ballot," accessed June 3, 2014
  17. CBS Minnesota, "Abeler Says He’ll Take Weekend To Decide On Senate," accessed June 3, 2014
  18. 18.0 18.1 Twin Cities, "Minnesota GOP: McFadden endorsed for Senate on 10th ballot," accessed June 3, 2014
  19. 19.0 19.1 MinnPost, "Former U.S. Sens. Norm Coleman and Rod Grams are honorary chairs of McFadden for Senate," accessed June 3, 2014
  20. Mike McFadden for U.S. Senate, "More State Legislators & GOP Activists Endorse Mike McFadden," accessed June 3, 2014
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 Suffolk University, "Suffolk University Poll Shows Jeb Bush & Rick Perry Leading GOP Presidential Pack in Minnesota," accessed April 30, 2014
  22. Federal Election Commission, "Franken 2014 Summary reports," accessed July 25, 2013
  23. FEC, "April Quarterly," accessed July 25, 2013
  24. FEC, "July Quarterly," accessed July 25, 2013
  25. FEC, "October Quarterly," accessed October 30, 2013
  26. FEC, "Year-End Quarterly," accessed February 13, 2014
  27. FEC, "April Quarterly," accessed April 28, 2014
  28. Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed October 16, 2014
  29. Federal Election Commission, "Mike McFadden Summary Report," accessed April 24, 2014
  30. Federal Election Commission, "Mike McFadden July Quarterly," accessed April 24, 2014
  31. Federal Election Commission, "Mike McFadden October Quarterly," accessed April 24, 2014
  32. Federal Election Commission, "Mike McFadden Year-End," accessed April 24, 2014
  33. Federal Election Commission, "Mike McFadden April Quarterly," accessed April 28, 2014
  34. Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed July 16, 2014
  35. Federal Election Commission, "Chris Dahlberg Summary Report," accessed April 28, 2014
  36. Federal Election Commission, "Chris Dahlberg Year-End," accessed April 28, 2014
  37. Federal Election Commission, "Chris Dahlberg April Quarterly," accessed April 28, 2014
  38. Federal Election Commission, "Jim Abeler Summary Report," accessed April 28, 2014
  39. Federal Election Commission, "Jim Abeler October Quarterly," accessed April 28, 2014
  40. Federal Election Commission, "Jim Abeler Year-End," accessed April 28, 2014
  41. Federal Election Commission, "Jim Abeler April Quarterly," accessed April 28, 2014
  42. Federal Election Commission, "Julianne Ortman Summary Report," accessed April 28, 2014
  43. Federal Election Commission, "Julianne Ortman October Quarterly," accessed April 28, 2014
  44. Federal Election Commission, "Julianne Ortman Year-End," accessed April 28, 2014
  45. Federal Election Commission, "Julianne Ortman April Quarterly," accessed April 28, 2014
  46. YouTube, "Senator Franken Supports Obama's Attacks on Free Speech," accessed March 27, 2014
  47. YouTube, "Stitches," accessed May 8, 2014
  48. Senator Al Franken, "Official Biography," accessed March 28, 2013
  49. U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008," accessed March 28, 2013


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)