2019 Minnesota Senate District 11 special election explained

Election Name:2019 District 11 special election
Country:Minnesota
Flag Image:File:Flag of Minnesota (1983-2024).svg
Type:by-election
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2016 Minnesota Senate election
Previous Year:2016
Next Election:2020 Minnesota Senate election
Next Year:2020
Seats For Election:Minnesota Senate District 11
Image1:Minnesota State Senator Jason Rarick.jpg
Nominee1:Jason Rarick
Party1:Republican Party of Minnesota
Popular Vote1:8,127
Percentage1:52.02%
Nominee2:Stu Lourey
Party2:Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
Popular Vote2:7,171
Percentage2:45.90%
Map Size:250px
Senator
Before Election:Tony Lourey
Before Party:Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
After Election:Jason Rarick
After Party:Republican Party of Minnesota

A special election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on February 5, 2019, to elect a new senator for District 11 in the Minnesota Senate, caused by the resignation of Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Senator Tony Lourey effective on January 3, 2019, to be appointed as commissioner of human services in Governor Tim Walz's cabinet. A primary election was held on January 22, 2019, to nominate a DFL candidate. Jason Rarick, the Republican nominee, won the special election. Rarick's win caused a special election for the seat he held in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Background

District 11 includes all of Carlton and Pine counties, the eastern half of Kanabec County, and a small part of southern St. Louis County in east-central Minnesota. Lourey first represented the area when it was District 8 after winning election in 2006, succeeding his mother, Becky Lourey, who did not seek re-election. In the last election in 2016, Lourey won with 55 percent of the vote.

Candidates

The candidate filing period was from January 4 to January 8, 2019.[1]

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

The Senate District 11 DFL held a convention to endorse a candidate in Barnum on January 19, 2019.[2] Michelle Lee won the endorsement over Stu Lourey.[3] Lourey conceded the endorsement after Lee received just one vote less than the 60 percent of votes needed to win outright out of more than 150 delegates.[4] Lourey said after the convention he would continue to campaign for the DFL nomination in the primary election.[5]

Declared

Republican Party of Minnesota

District 11 Republican delegates held a convention to endorse a candidate in Hinckley on January 8, 2019. District 11B Representative Jason Rarick won the endorsement over deputy chair of the Eighth Congressional District Republicans Justin Krych. Mayor of Pine City Carl Pederson and Mathias Shir did not receive any votes. All candidates who were not endorsed agreed to withdraw their candidacies.[6]

Declared

Withdrawn

Legal Marijuana Now Party

Primary election

Results

Party!Candidate!Votes!%
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor PartyStu Lourey1,93253.21
Michelle Lee1,69946.79
Subtotal3,631100.00
Republican Party of MinnesotaJason Rarick689100.00
Legal Marijuana Now PartyJohn Birrenbach69100.00
Total4,389100.00
Invalid/blank votes2355.08
Turnout (out of 45,985 registered voters)[7] 4,62410.06
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State[8]

Late ballots

Prior to the primary election, some voters voting by mail expressed concerns they would not receive their ballots or their ballots would not arrive in time to be counted. Carlton County's auditor said the short time frame of the special election and supply shortages made it difficult to promptly mail ballots.[9] Minnesota law requires, when a vacancy occurs while the Legislature is in session, that the governor issue a writ within five days of a vacancy occurring for a special election to be held within 35 days after the writ is issued.[10] If a primary election is required, it must be held within 14 days before the special election.[11]

Several hundred mail-in ballots did not arrive in time to be counted. In Carlton County, which had approximately 2,300 registered voters in mail-only precincts, 250 ballots arrived three days after the primary election and a further 12 three days later. In Pine County, which had 752 registered voters in mail-only precincts, a total of 43 ballots had arrived late as of three days after the primary election. Carlton County's auditor predicted as many as 400 ballots would arrive late.[12] Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said he would ask the Legislature to increase the time frame for holding future special elections given the number of late ballots.[13]

Results

Party!Candidate!Votes!%!+/−
Republican Party of MinnesotaJason Rarick8,12752.02+6.66
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor PartyStu Lourey7,17145.90–8.60
Legal Marijuana Now PartyJohn Birrenbach2981.91+1.91
Write-ins270.17+0.03
Total15,623100.00±0.00
Invalid/blank votes250.16–4.23
Turnout (out of 44,876 registered voters)[14] 15,64834.87–46.86
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State[15]

See also

External links

Official campaign websites

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Senate District 11 Special Election. Minnesota Secretary of State. January 3, 2019. January 4, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190104021519/https://www.sos.state.mn.us/election-administration-campaigns/elections-calendar/senate-district-11-special-election/. dead.
  2. News: Candidates crowd Senate District 11 race. Malcomb. Jamey. January 8, 2019. Duluth News Tribune. January 9, 2019.
  3. News: Michelle Lee wins DFL endorsement in Senate District 11 race. January 19, 2019. Duluth News Tribune. January 19, 2019.
  4. News: Lee wins DFL endorsement in special election for state Senate seat. Krueger. Andrew. January 19, 2019. January 20, 2019. Minnesota Public Radio.
  5. News: Michelle Lee Takes DFL Endorsement in Senate District 11 Race. January 19, 2019. January 19, 2019. WDIO-TV.
  6. News: No primary for GOP as Rarick wins endorsement. Slater. Brady. January 9, 2019. Duluth News Tribune. January 9, 2019.
  7. Web site: Statewide Reporting Statistics. January 23, 2019. Minnesota Secretary of State.
  8. Web site: Results for State Senator District 11 . . January 23, 2019.
  9. News: Rural ballot controversy surfaces in special election. Slater. Brady. January 18, 2019. Duluth News Tribune. January 19, 2019.
  10. Web site: Minnesota Statutes 2018, section, 204D.19, subdivision 2. Office of the Revisor of Statutes. February 5, 2019.
  11. Web site: Minnesota Statutes 2018, section, 204D.21, subdivision 3. Office of the Revisor of Statutes. February 5, 2019.
  12. News: Election officials: Hundreds of votes went uncounted in Senate District 11 primary. Slater. Brady. January 28, 2019. Duluth News Tribune. February 3, 2019.
  13. News: Minnesota's top election official: 'Voters may be disenfranchised'. Slater. Brady. January 29, 2019. Duluth News Tribune. February 3, 2019.
  14. Web site: Statewide Reporting Statistics. Minnesota Secretary of State. February 6, 2019.
  15. Web site: Results for State Senator District 11 . . February 5, 2019.