Community Corner

Minnesota Election Results: President, U.S. Senate, Congress and the Amendments

A breakdown of races in and around Twin Cities Patch, from the Presidential and Congressional races to the proposed Marriage Amendment and Voter I.D. Also: Links to races in your county or community.

Welcome to Patch's Statewide Election Hub for Minnesota, particularly the Twin Cities Area. 

We'll have a breakdown of each race that impacts residents statewide, as well as links to other Twin Cities Patch sites as they cover elections in communities around the metro area. 

√ = projected winner

Find out what's happening in St. Michaelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

*All results are unofficial until canvased by the election board

RESULTS

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

Candidate  MN Votes MN Percentage National Vote Percentage Barack Obama   (D)  
1,024,880  51


Mitt Romney (R) 960,152  47


Other *
  1


Total



Percentage of precincts reporting: 2,057 of 4,102

Find out what's happening in St. Michaelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

(Note: Other equals various "third party" candidates)

United States Senate

Candidate Votes Percentage Amy Klobuchar (D)     562,880
  64.8
Kurt Bills (R) 271,063
  31.2
Other *

Total 

Percentage of precincts reporting: 28.6 percent

(Note: Other equals various "third party" candidates)

United State Congress District 2

Candidate Votes Percentage Mike Obermueller (DFL) 154,064
  46
John Kline (R)
180,296    54
Total 

Percentage of precincts reporting: 281 of 291, about 97 percent

United States Congress District 3

Candidate Votes Percentage Erik Paulsen (R)  168,904
 62
Brian Barnes (DFL)  120,002
37
Total

Percentage of precincts reporting: 189 of 246

United States Congress District 4

Candidate Votes Percentage Betty McCullom (DFL)     
65,618
  68
Tony Hernandez (R)  25,641
  27
Total

Percentage of precincts reporting:

United States Congress District 5

Candidate Votes Percentage Chris Fields (R) 32,030   35.6 Keith Ellison (DFL)    
57,844   64.2 Lynne Torgeson (I)
  0.2
Total

Percentage of precincts reporting: 21 of 221 for 10 percent

United States Congress District 6

Candidate Votes Percentage Michele Bachmann (R)   
146,674   50 Jim Graves (DFL)  145,037   50 Total

Percentage of precincts reporting: 86 percent

Minnesota Constitutional Amendment No. 1
(Marriage Amendment)

Answer Votes Percentage YES 1,199,990  47.4
NO
1,283,010
Blank 32,454

Time of last reporting: 1:40 a.m.

Minnesota Constitutional Amendment No. 2
(Voter I.D.) 

Answer Votes Percentage YES 981,572   47.7 NO 1,037,188
Blank 37,821

Time of last reporting: 11:30 p.m.

Minnesota State Legislature/Metro Counties

A breakdown, county by county, of races around the Twin Cities Metro area, courtesy of our team of Local Editors. Reports and updates will be filed here throughout Election Day. State Legislative races are broken down by county via these and other links.

Wright County

Dakota County

Hennepin County

Ramsey County

Washington County

Rice County

Minnesota State Judicial 

A wrap-up of State Supreme Court and other various judical races from around Minnesota can be found by clicking here.

Historical Data

Minnesota, of course, is a Democratic stronghold, infamously "blue" and the only state to vote for native son Walter Mondale in the 1984 election. It has not voted for a Republican in the "modern era" (read: television) of politics. 

However, this year's polls have showed that margin shrinking, as Republicans were given big news as recently as two weeks ago with polls showing Mitt Romney trailing incumbent President Barack Obama, a Democrat, by less than 3 points. 

scroll up for results

Most polls, however, show Obama leading by at least 5 points, and have Minnesota again in the blue column. 

U.S. Senate

So, too, is the state's U.S. Senate seat up for grabs in 2012. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is up for re-election, facing off with south suburban legislator Kurt Bills. 

Polls, again, show this comfortably in the DFL hands, with Klobuchar boasting a lead of more than 20 points. 

She won the seat in 2006 by 20 percentage points over Rep. Mark Kennedy, a Republican from the Sixth District. 

Congress

Here is where Minnesota's political diversity, particularly that of the Twin Cities, shows up. 

The state has typically had a divided representation in the U.S. House of Representatives, with suburban areas being Republican, and the elected officials with more urban centers showing up blue, or in the DFL column. 

scroll up for results

Three Republicans - Rep. John Kline (District 2), Rep. Eric Paulson (District 3) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (District 6) are on the line tonight, and all are leading in their races by various margins. 

Democratic incumbents Rep. Betty McCollum (District 4) and Rep. Keith Ellison (District 5) also have comfortable leads heading into Election Day. 

The two tightest races feature Kline and Bachmann. 

Kline is getting a stiff challenge from longtime DFL legislator Mike Obermueller. 

The district, itself, was made a bit more "purple" thanks to redistricting, which took place earlier this year. West St. Paul and South St. Paul were added to District 2, bringing in DFL (traditionally) voters. 

In District 6, business magnate Jim Graves, owner of the AmericInn Hotel chain and a St. Cloud native, is challenging Tea Party matriarch Rep. Michele Bachmann. 

Graves is running down the middle, attempting to appease and relate to business owners like himself, yet alligning with DFL stances on the marriage amendment and so-called "Obamacare." 

Bachmann, meanwhile, has a solid base in the northwest suburbs with her Christian conservative values and refusal to move the line on taxes. 

State Amendments

Two Republican-endorsed amendments (both were passed by partisan votes in the Minnesota Legislature) appear on this year's ballot.

scroll up for results

Amendment 1: "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota?"

Amendment 2: "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to require all voters to present valid photo identification to vote and to require the state to provide free identification to eligible voters, effective July 1, 2013?"

Polls show the vote split nearly even on the Marriage Amendement (No. 1), while the "Yes" vote is leading on the so-called Voter I.D. question.

Other stories from around Twin Cities Patch:

When Will Presidential Election 2012 Results Be Announced?
Did You Vote Today? Show Us Your Sticker!
Catch All the 2012 Election Color From Patch
How Will Minnesota's Muslim Community Vote?
FLASH POLL: Minnesota Republicans Predict Marriage Amendment Will Fail in Tuesday Election 


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