| Election Name: | 2010 Minnesota Attorney General election |
| Country: | Minnesota |
| Flag Image: | File:Flag of Minnesota (1983-2024).svg |
| Flag Year: | 1983 |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2006 Minnesota Attorney General election |
| Previous Year: | 2006 |
| Next Election: | 2014 Minnesota Attorney General election |
| Next Year: | 2014 |
| Election Date: | November 2, 2010 |
| Image1: | File:Lori Swanson (cropped).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Lori Swanson |
| Party1: | Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,075,536 |
| Percentage1: | 52.9% |
| Nominee2: | Chris Barden |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 839,033 |
| Percentage2: | 41.3% |
| Image3: | 3x4.svg |
| Nominee3: | Bill Dahn |
| Party3: | Independence Party of Minnesota |
| Popular Vote3: | 102,865 |
| Percentage3: | 5.06% |
| Attorney General | |
| Before Election: | Lori Swanson |
| Before Party: | Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party |
| After Election: | Lori Swanson |
| After Party: | Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party |
| Map Size: | 300px |
The 2010 Minnesota Attorney General election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the Minnesota Attorney General for a four-year term. Primary elections were held on August 10, 2010. Incumbent Lori Swanson of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) won reelection to a second term.
Incumbent Lori Swanson won endorsement at the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) convention. She faced only token opposition in her party's primary from Leo F. Meyer, and easily won her party's nomination in the August 10 primary.[1]
Edina attorney and psychologist Chris Barden earned the endorsement of the Republican Party of Minnesota at its state convention. He was challenged in his party's primary by Sharon Anderson, a perennial candidate who won her party's endorsement for attorney general in 1994. In the August 10 primary, Barden earned 54% of the vote to defeat Anderson and earn his party's nomination.
Activist Bill Dahn, who has no formal legal education, was the only candidate seeking the office of Attorney General as a member of the Independence Party of Minnesota.
Activist David J. Hoch ran in the election for the Resource Party.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | |||||
| Lori Swanson | Democratic–Farmer–Labor | 1,075,536 | 52.90 | ||
| Chris Barden | Republican | 839,033 | 41.27 | ||
| Bill Dahn | Independence | 102,865 | 5.06 | ||
| David J. Hoch | Resource Party | 14,040 | 0.69 | ||
| Write-in | — | 1,613 | 0.08 | ||
| Total | 2,033,087 | 100.00 | |||
| Valid votes | 2,033,087 | 95.75 | |||
| Blank votes | 90,282 | 4.25 | |||
| Turnout[2] | 2,123,369 | 55.81 | |||
| Eligible voters | 3,804,746 | ||||