Options Are Limited

For the first time since 1990, Minnesota voters will have just two choices on the ballot in a state constitutional office election. In fact, two contests – those for Secretary of State and Attorney General – have only DFL and GOP nominees this November. The most recent cycle to feature two candidates on the ballot in a constitutional office race was in 1990: elections for Auditor (in which DFLer Mark Dayton won the open seat race against Bob Heinrich) and Attorney General (in which incumbent Skip Humphrey won a third term over Kevin Johnson). Minnesota voters last had two options in a Secretary of State contest in 1986 (with Joan Growe winning a fourth term against Don Koenig). Gopher State gubernatorial elections have had at least three candidates on the ballot for the last 62 consecutive elections dating back to 1869 (although no Democrat appeared on the 1936 ballot).