2006 Minnesota gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:2006 Minnesota gubernatorial election
Country:Minnesota
Flag Year:1983
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2002 Minnesota gubernatorial election
Previous Year:2002
Next Election:2010 Minnesota gubernatorial election
Next Year:2010
Election Date:November 7, 2006
Image1:File:Tim Pawlenty official photo.jpg
Nominee1:Tim Pawlenty
Running Mate1:Carol Molnau
Party1:Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:1,028,568
Percentage1:46.69%
Nominee2:Mike Hatch
Running Mate2:Judi Dutcher
Party2:Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
Popular Vote2:1,007,460
Percentage2:45.73%
Image3:3x4.svg
Nominee3:Peter Hutchinson
Running Mate3:Maureen Reed
Party3:Independence Party of Minnesota
Popular Vote3:141,735
Percentage3:6.43%
Map Size:270px
Governor
Before Election:Tim Pawlenty
Before Party:Republican Party of Minnesota
After Election:Tim Pawlenty
After Party:Republican Party of Minnesota

The 2006 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Tim Pawlenty was endorsed by the state Republican convention on June 2, 2006, while the state Democratic–Farmer–Labor convention endorsed Mike Hatch on June 10, 2006. The party primaries took place on September 12, 2006, with Hatch defeating DFL challengers Becky Lourey and Ole Savior and incumbent Pawlenty defeating Sue Jeffers. In the November 7 general election, Pawlenty received a plurality of the votes, defeating Hatch by a margin of 1%. As a result, this election was the closest race of the 2006 gubernatorial election cycle.

As of, it is the last time a Republican won a statewide race in Minnesota.

Democratic–Farmer–Labor primary

Candidates

Declared

Withdrawn

Results

Independence primary

Candidates

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Other candidates

Nominated by petition

Former candidates

General election

On November 7, 2006, Tim Pawlenty narrowly won the general election, 46.7% to 45.7%, in a four-way race between himself, DFL candidate Mike Hatch, Independence Party candidate Peter Hutchinson, and Green Party candidate Ken Pentel. After Pawlenty opted out of spending limits, Hatch followed suit. Outspending Hatch by $1 million, Pawlenty's campaign set a new spending record for a Minnesota gubernatorial campaign. The race was also affected by negative advertising by 527 groups, as well as issue-oriented groups opposing liberal causes in the state.

A major issue in the campaign that was considered to have hurt the DFL nominees was lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Judi Dutcher's response to a question about E-85. When asked about the impact of the gasoline alternative on the economies of rural Minnesota by then KSAX-TV anchor Corey Poppe, Dutcher was unable to comment, asking Poppe to define E-85.[4] In the subsequent questioning about her response, gubernatorial candidate Mike Hatch reportedly called a Forum Communications reporter "a Republican whore" and promptly hung up the phone.[5] [6] Hatch claimed he had said "hack", not "whore", but the incident, occurring only three days before the last poll listed in this article, is believed to have swung the race. It put Hatch on the defensive in the campaign's last week.

Additionally, Pawlenty made illegal immigration an issue, running ads accusing Hatch of trying to give illegal immigrants college tuition. Hatch responded with an ad saying that illegal immigration laws had not been enforced under Pawlenty's tenure. Pawlenty also ran ads accusing Hatch of being responsible for raising health care costs, a claim Hatch disputed. Pawlenty campaigned on a record of leading the state through hard times, balancing record budget deficits without raising major state tax rates or diminishing the state's "nation-leading" status on most socioeconomic indicators.

Pawlenty won by piling up large margins in suburban counties as well as in central and southern Minnesota regions anchored by St. Cloud and Rochester. In his victory speech, noting that he would have to deal with a DFL House and Senate, Pawlenty said it was "a time tonight to be humble and time to be grateful." He promised that "the next four years are going to be different than the last four years" and that he would build "a common agenda" with DFLers who swept legislative and constitutional offices.

Hatch ran ahead in Minneapolis, St. Paul and their inner-ring suburbs, and won by large margins around Duluth and the Iron Range. In his concession speech, Hatch advocated that legislators get back to "sitting down and getting to know each other in private" to establish common ground for bipartisan legislation, and called for an end to partisan rancor. Had the Hatch/Dutcher ticket been successful, he stated that this would have been one of his administration's first goals.[7]

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
align=left The Cook Political Report[8] November 6, 2006
align=left Sabato's Crystal Ball[9] November 6, 2006
align=left Rothenberg Political Report[10] November 2, 2006
align=left Real Clear Politics[11] November 6, 2006

Polling

Two-way

width=190px Sourcewidth=130px Date width=100px Mike
Hatch (DFL)
width=100px Tim
Pawlenty (R)
width=80px Undecided
align=left University of MinnesotaOctober 28, 2006 align=center45%39%7%
align=left Mason-DixonOctober 27, 2006 align=center44%43%7%
align=left St. Cloud State UniversityOctober 27, 2006 align=center46%36%7%
align=left RasmussenOctober 25, 2006 align=center45%44%2%
align=left Zogby/WSJOctober 19, 200645%45%
align=left RasmussenOctober 4, 2006 align=center50%46%2%
align=left Zogby/WSJSeptember 11, 2006 align=center42%41%
align=left GallupSeptember 5, 2006 align=center44%43%
align=left Zogby/WSJJuly 24, 200643%43%
align=left Star Tribune Minnesota PollJuly 15, 200641% align=center43%
align=left RasmussenJune 30, 2006 align=center47%42%
align=left Zogby/WSJJune 21, 200640% align=center45%
align=left RasmussenMay 10, 2006 align=center49%39%
align=left RasmussenFebruary 28, 2006 align=center45%40%
align=left RasmussenJanuary 29, 200644% align=center47%

Three-way

width=315px Sourcewidth=130px Date width=100px Mike
Hatch (DFL)
width=100px Tim
Pawlenty (R)
width=100px Peter
width=100px Undecided
align=left Star Tribune Minnesota PollNovember 4, 2006 align=center45%40%7%7%
align=left Star Tribune Minnesota PollOctober 14, 2006 align=center46%37%7%6%
align=left Survey USASeptember 28, 200644% align=center45%6%3%
align=left Pioneer Press/MPR PollSeptember 22, 200639% align=center42%5%11%
align=left The Humphrey InstituteSeptember 21, 2006 align=center44%42%6%5%
align=left Star Tribune Minnesota PollSeptember 16, 200642%42%7%5%
align=left RasmussenSeptember 1, 200639% align=center45%7%
align=left Zogby/WSJAugust 28, 2006 align=center43%41%5–9%
align=left RasmussenAugust 7, 200636% align=center46%6%
align=left Survey USAJuly 24, 200636% align=center50%8%

Debate & forum

2006 Minnesota gubernatorial election debate & candidate forum
DateHostModeratorLinkRepublicanDemocraticIndependence
Key:
Participant  Absent  Not invited  Invited Withdrawn
Tim PawlentyMike HatchPeter Hutchinson
1Oct. 29, 2006KSTP-TV
League of Women Voters Minnesota Education Fund
Tom HauserC-SPAN
2Nov. 3, 2006Almanac
WCCO (AM)
Eric Eskola
Cathy Wurzer
C-SPAN

Results

thumb|right|200px|County Results for the Independence Party:

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Counties that flipped from Independence to Republican

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Counties that flipped from Independence to Democratic

See also

External links

Campaign Websites (Archived)

Other

Notes and References

  1. Web site: wcco.com - 'Impaler' Claims He Did Nothing Wrong . June 18, 2006 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060716080857/http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_031105113.html . July 16, 2006 .
  2. http://www.theimpalerforpresident2008.us/images/Dismissal_of_Charges.JPG Scanned copy of Prosecutor's Motion to Dismiss
  3. Web site: Sharkey v. Indiana, Ind. App. (2006). in.gov. April 6, 2018.
  4. Web site: GOP jumps on Dutcher's E85 misstep. https://web.archive.org/web/20061114135949/http://www.startribune.com/587/story/784334.html. dead. November 14, 2006. November 14, 2006. April 6, 2018.
  5. http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=27509&freebie_check&CFID=4612252&CFTOKEN=43846502&jsessionid=8830d400afe52687c441{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
  6. http://www.startribune.com/blogs/kersten/?p=37{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
  7. Web site: Hatch concedes to Pawlenty . November 8, 2006 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070926222607/http://www.startribune.com/10134/story/786531.html . September 26, 2007 .
  8. Web site: 2006 Governor Race Ratings for November 6, 2006. The Cook Political Report. October 1, 2006. June 5, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080605094803/https://cookpolitical.com/races/report_pdfs/2006_gov_ratings_nov6.pdf. dead.
  9. Web site: Election Eve 2006: THE FINAL PREDICTIONS . Sabato's Crystal Ball . June 25, 2021.
  10. Web site: 2006 Gubernatorial Ratings . Senate Ratings . The Rothenberg Political Report . June 25, 2021.
  11. Web site: Election 2006 . Real Clear Politics . June 25, 2021.