2000 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota

The 2000 congressional elections in Minnesota were held on November 7, 2000 to determine who would represent the state of Minnesota in the United States House of Representatives.

2000 United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota

← 1998 November 7, 2000 (2000-11-07) 2002 →
All 8 Minnesota seats to the United States House of Representatives
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Last election 6 seats 2 seats Seats before 5 2 Seats won 5 3 Seat change 1 Popular vote 1,234,204 993,371 Percentage 52.21% 42.02%
Republican   40–50%   50–60%   60–70% Democratic   40–50%   60–70%

Map of Minnesota showing all eight districts

Minnesota had eight seats in the House, apportioned according to the 1990 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 107th Congress from January 3, 2001 until January 3, 2003. The election coincided with the 2000 presidential election and the 2000 U.S. Senate election.

Except for DFLer David Minge of the 2nd congressional district, all other House incumbents from Minnesota who stood for reelection were reelected. Minge's seat came under the control of the Republican Party of Minnesota as a result of the 2000 election. DFL incumbent Bruce Vento of the 4th congressional district died in office less than a month prior to the election; however, he was not seeking reelection, and the DFL nominee running for election to replace him, Betty McCollum, was able to keep the seat in the DFL's hands.

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in Minnesota, 2000 [1]
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/–
	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	1,234,204	52.21%	5	-1
	Republican	993,371	42.02%	3	+1
	Independence	75,097	3.18%	0	—
	Constitution	24,248	1.03%	0	—
	Independent	19,667	0.83%	0	—
	Libertarian	17,151	0.73%	0	—
Totals		2,363,738	100.00%	8	—

District 1

2000 Minnesota's 1st congressional district election

← 1998 2002 →

Nominee Gil Gutknecht Mary Rieder Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 159,835 117,946 Percentage 56.4% 41.6%

Precinct results Gutknecht:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Rieder:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      >90% Tie:      40–50%      50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Gil Gutknecht Republican Elected U.S. Representative Gil Gutknecht Republican

See also: Minnesota's 1st congressional district

Incumbent Republican Gil Gutknecht, who had represented Minnesota's 1st congressional district since 1994, ran against Mary Rieder of the DFL and Rich Osness of the Libertarian Party. Gutknecht won a fourth term, defeating second-place Rieder by a landslide margin of nearly 15 percent, as Osness placed at a very distant third.

DFL primary

Candidates

• Mary Rieder

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Mary Rieder	31,244	100.00
Total votes			31,244	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Gil Gutknecht, incumbent U.S. Representative since 1994

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Gil Gutknecht (Incumbent)	17,824	100.00
Total votes			17,824	100.00

General election

Results

Minnesota's 1st Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Gil Gutknecht (Incumbent)	159,835	56.43
	Democratic (DFL)	Mary Rieder	117,946	41.64
	Libertarian	Rich Osness	5,440	1.92
Total votes			283,221	100.00
	Republican hold

District 2

2000 Minnesota's 2nd congressional district election

← 1998 2002 →

Nominee Mark Kennedy David Minge Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 138,957 138,802 Percentage 48.1% 48.0%

Precinct results Kennedy:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Minge:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Tie:      40–50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election David Minge Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Mark Kennedy Republican

See also: Minnesota's 2nd congressional district

Incumbent DFLer David Minge, who was first elected in 1992, ran against Mark Kennedy of the Republican Party, Gerald W. Brekke of the Independence Party, Ron Helwig of the Libertarian Party, and Dennis A. Burda of the Constitution Party. Kennedy dashed Minge's hopes for a fifth term, defeating the incumbent by a razor-thin margin of six one hundredths of one percent of the vote, while Brekke finished a very distant third, and Helwig and Burda, respectively, finished an even more distant fourth and fifth.

Constitution Party primary

Candidates

• Dennis A. Burda

Results

Constitution Party Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Constitution	Dennis A. Burda	170	100.00
Total votes			170	100.00

DFL primary

Candidates

• David Minge, incumbent U.S. Representative since 1993

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	David Minge (Incumbent)	30,089	100.00
Total votes			30,089	100.00

Independence primary

Candidates

• Stan Bentz
• Gerald W. Brekke

Results

Independence Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independence	Gerald W. Brekke	292	52.61
	Independence	Stan Bentz	263	47.39
Total votes			555	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Mark Kennedy, business executive
• Joe Wagner

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark Kennedy	13,779	79.29
	Republican	Joe Wagner	3,598	20.71
Total votes			17,377	100.00

General election

Results

Minnesota's 2nd Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark Kennedy	138,957	48.10
	Democratic (DFL)	David Minge (Incumbent)	138,802	48.04
	Independence	Gerald W. Brekke	7,875	2.73
	Libertarian	Ron Helwig	1,929	0.67
	Constitution	Dennis A. Burda	1,337	0.46
Total votes			288,900	100.00
	Republican gain from Democratic (DFL)

District 3

2000 Minnesota's 3rd congressional district election

← 1998 2002 →

Nominee Jim Ramstad Sue Shuff Party Republican Democratic (DFL) Popular vote 222,571 98,219 Percentage 67.6% 29.8%

Precinct results Ramstad:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Shuff:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Jim Ramstad Republican Elected U.S. Representative Jim Ramstad Republican

See also: Minnesota's 3rd congressional district

Incumbent Republican Jim Ramstad, who was first elected in 1990, faced off against Sue Shuff of the DFL, Bob Odden of the Libertarian Party, and Arne Niska of the Constitution Party. Ramstad had no difficulty winning a sixth term in Congress, as he defeated Shuff by a 37.79 percent margin, while Odden finished a distant third and Niska finished slightly behind Odden.

Constitution Party primary

Candidates

• Arne Niska

Results

Constitution Party Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Constitution	Arne Niska	111	100.00
Total votes			111	100.00

DFL primary

Candidates

• Sue Shuff
• Darryl Tyree Stanton

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Sue Shuff	29,841	74.53
	Democratic (DFL)	Darryl Tyree Stanton	10,197	25.47
Total votes			40,038	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Jim Ramstad, incumbent U.S. Representative since 1991

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Ramstad (Incumbent)	13,995	100.00
Total votes			13,995	100.00

General election

Results

Minnesota's 3rd Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Ramstad (Incumbent)	222,571	67.64
	Democratic (DFL)	Sue Shuff	98,219	29.85
	Libertarian	Bob Odden	5,302	1.61
	Constitution	Arne Niska	2,970	0.90
Total votes			329,062	100.00
	Republican hold

District 4

2000 Minnesota's 4th congressional district election

← 1998 2002 →

Nominee Betty McCollum Linda Runbeck Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 130,403 83,852 Percentage 48.0% 30.9%

Precinct results McCollum:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Runbeck:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Bruce Vento Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Betty McCollum Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 4th congressional district

Incumbent DFLer Bruce Vento died in office on October 10, 2000, less than a month before the election. However, as Vento was not seeking reelection, it was not necessary for any special election to be held or for the DFL to select another candidate. Betty McCollum had been selected in the DFL primary to seek election to replace Vento. Opposing McCollum were Linda Runbeck of the Republican Party, Tom Foley of the Independence Party, and Nicholas Skrivanek of the Constitution Party.

McCollum did not face any great difficulty keeping the seat (which represented a very liberal population centered around St. Paul) in DFL hands. McCollum defeated Runbeck by a margin of more than 17 percent of the vote. Due to a surprisingly strong showing by Foley (who finished about 10 percent behind Runbeck), McCollum was able to win by such a large margin while simultaneously failing to secure a majority of the vote.

Constitution Party primary

Candidates

• Nicholas Skrivanek

Results

Constitution Party Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Constitution	Nicholas Skrivanek	114	100.00
Total votes			114	100.00

DFL primary

Candidates

• Chris Coleman, St. Paul City Councilor since 1997
• Cathie Hartnett
• Betty McCollum, State Representative from district 55B since 1993
• Steven G. Novak, State Senator from district 52 since 1983

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Betty McCollum	35,911	50.40
	Democratic (DFL)	Steven G. Novak	16,332	22.92
	Democratic (DFL)	Chris Coleman	13,555	19.02
	Democratic (DFL)	Cathie Hartnett	5,454	7.65
Total votes			71,252	100.00

Independence primary

Candidates

• Pam (Pamela Joy) Ellison
• Tom Foley

Results

Independence Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independence	Tom Foley	750	63.34
	Independence	Pam (Pamela Joy) Ellison	434	36.66
Total votes			1,184	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Patricia Reagan
• Linda Runbeck, State Senator from district 53 since 1993

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Linda Runbeck	10,722	86.22
	Republican	Patricia Reagan	1,713	13.78
Total votes			12,435	100.00

General election

Results

Minnesota's 4th Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Betty McCollum	130,403	48.04
	Republican	Linda Runbeck	83,852	30.89
	Independence	Tom Foley	55,899	20.59
	Constitution	Nicholas Skrivanek	1,285	0.47
Total votes			271,439	100.00
	Democratic (DFL) hold

District 5

2000 Minnesota's 5th congressional district election

← 1998 2002 →

Nominee Martin Olav Sabo Frank Taylor Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 176,629 58,191 Percentage 69.2% 22.8%

Precinct results Sabo:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Taylor:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Martin Olav Sabo Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Martin Olav Sabo Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 5th congressional district

Incumbent DFLer Martin Sabo, who was first elected in 1978, faced absolutely no difficulty in winning his 12th term as the representative of the very liberal 5th congressional district, which was centered around Minneapolis. Although he was faced, in the general election, with a very crowded field of challengers, Sabo was able to win over 69 percent of the vote, and defeated second-place Republican Frank Taylor by an overwhelming 46.42 percent margin.

Constitution Party primary

Candidates

• Renee Lavoi

Results

Constitution Party Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Constitution	Renee Lavoi	128	100.00
Total votes			128	100.00

DFL primary

Candidates

• Martin Olav Sabo, incumbent U.S. Representative since 1979

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Martin Olav Sabo (Incumbent)	55,879	100.00
Total votes			55,879	100.00

Independence primary

Candidates

• Rob Tomich

Results

Independence Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independence	Rob Tomich	698	100.00
Total votes			698	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Chris Flynn
• Frank Taylor

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Frank Taylor	4,837	63.21
	Republican	Chris Flynn	2,815	36.79
Total votes			7,652	100.00

General election

Results

Minnesota's 5th Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Martin Olav Sabo (Incumbent)	176,629	69.23
	Republican	Frank Taylor	58,191	22.81
	Independence	Rob Tomich	11,323	4.44
	Constitution	Renee Lavoi	4,522	1.77
	Libertarian	Chuck P. Charnstrom	4,480	1.76
Total votes			255,145	100.00
	Democratic (DFL) hold

District 6

2000 Minnesota's 6th congressional district election

← 1998 2002 →

Nominee Bill Luther John Kline Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 176,340 170,900 Percentage 49.6% 48.0%

Precinct results Luther:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Kline:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Tie:      40–50%      50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Bill Luther Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Bill Luther Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 6th congressional district

Incumbent Democrat Bill Luther, who was first elected as the U.S. representative from the 6th congressional district in 1994, faced an extremely close challenge in 2000. Luther won reelection for his fourth term in Congress by a razor-thin margin, defeating Republican challenger John Kline by a margin of just 1.53 percent of the vote.

Constitution Party primary

Candidates

• Ralph A. Hubbard

Results

Constitution Party Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Constitution	Ralph A. Hubbard	242	100.00
Total votes			242	100.00

DFL primary

Candidates

• Bill Luther, incumbent U.S. Representative since 1995

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Bill Luther (Incumbent)	45,378	100.00
Total votes			45,378	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• John Kline, retired Colonel (USMC)

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Kline	19,029	100.00
Total votes			19,029	100.00

General election

Results

Minnesota's 6th Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Bill Luther (Incumbent)	176,340	49.56
	Republican	John Kline	170,900	48.03
	Constitution	Ralph A. Hubbard	8,584	2.41
Total votes			355,824	100.00
	Democratic (DFL) hold

District 7

2000 Minnesota's 7th congressional district election

← 1998 2002 →

Nominee Collin Peterson Glen Menze Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 185,771 79,175 Percentage 68.7% 29.3%

Precinct results Peterson:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Menze:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Tie:      40–50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Collin Peterson Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Collin Peterson Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 7th congressional district

Incumbent DFLer Collin Peterson, who was first elected in 1990, faced no difficulty winning his sixth term in Congress, defeating Republican challenger Glen Menze by a landslide 39.41 percent margin.

Constitution primary

Candidates

• Owen Sivertson

Results

Constitution Party Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Constitution	Owen Sivertson	141	100.00
Total votes			141	100.00

DFL primary

Candidates

• Collin C. Peterson, incumbent U.S. Representative since 1991

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Collin C. Peterson (Incumbent)	33,948	100.00
Total votes			33,948	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Aleta Edin
• Glen Menze

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Glen Menze	10,258	65.38
	Republican	Aleta Edin	5,433	34.62
Total votes			15,691	100.00

General election

Results

Minnesota's 7th Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	Collin C. Peterson (Incumbent)	185,771	68.68
	Republican	Glen Menze	79,175	29.27
	Constitution	Owen Sivertson	5,550	2.05
Total votes			270,496	100.00
	Democratic (DFL) hold

District 8

2000 Minnesota's 8th congressional district election

← 1998 2002 →

Nominee Jim Oberstar Bob Lemen Party Democratic (DFL) Republican Popular vote 210,094 79,890 Percentage 67.8% 25.8%

Precinct results Oberstar:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Lemen:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      >90% Tie:      40–50%      50%      No votes

U.S. Representative before election Jim Oberstar Democratic (DFL) Elected U.S. Representative Jim Oberstar Democratic (DFL)

See also: Minnesota's 8th congressional district

Incumbent DFLer Jim Oberstar, who was first elected in 1974, had no difficulty winning his 14th term in Congress, defeating Republican challenger Bob Lemen by a margin of more than 42 percent.

DFL primary

Candidates

• James L. Oberstar, incumbent U.S. Representative since 1975

Results

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	James L. Oberstar (Incumbent)	64,189	100.00
Total votes			64,189	100.00

Republican primary

Candidates

• Bob Lemen
• Warren L. Nelson

Results

Republican Primary Election ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Lemen	7,197	50.06
	Republican	Warren L. Nelson	7,179	49.94
Total votes			14,376	100.00

General election

Results

Minnesota's 8th Congressional district election, 2000 ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic (DFL)	James L. Oberstar (Incumbent)	210,094	67.85
	Republican	Bob Lemen	79,890	25.80
	Independent	Mike Darling	19,667	6.35
Total votes			309,651	100.00
	Democratic (DFL) hold

References

1. "Home - Election Results".
2. "Home - Election Results".