The Associated Press called the Minnesota governor’s race for incumbent Democrat Tim Walz over Republican challenger Scott Jensen at 10:26 p.m. on election night Tuesday. With 95% of precincts reporting, Walz received 52% and Jensen received 44% of the votes, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State.
Walz’s victory extends the Democratic Party’s 12-year grip on the governor’s office. The last time a Minnesota Republican won statewide office was in 2006, when Gov. Tim Pawlenty was reelected.
“Tonight we’ve chosen democracy, we’ve chosen to trust women, we’ve chosen to invest in our children, we’ve chosen to address climate change and we’ve made it loud and clear,” Walz said during his victory speech.
At the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor watch party in St. Paul, the crowd was thin until Walz’s victory was announced. After the announcement, a large crowd of supporters and press flooded the room in anticipation of his victory speech, with some supporters even dancing into the room.
Although Walz lost his voice Monday, he still took the stage to give his victory speech with running mate Peggy Flanagan after 11 p.m.
“There is nothing we can’t do as a state when we build each other up, rather than tearing each other down,” Flanagan said.
“On this journey and the privilege of being governor, I’m glad I have been surrounded by incredible partners,” Walz said. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done together over four years.”
The Republican watch party’s atmosphere was the opposite of the DFL’s as the room was crowded and full of excitement for much of the night. However, after the announcement of Jensen’s loss, all energy was sucked from the room.
Jensen’s concession speech noted that he and his running mate, Matt Birk, “helped shape the conversation” in Minnesota around “inflation, crime and education.”
“When Matt and I leave this stage, we’re joining you. We’re going to walk side by side with you,” Jensen said. “We’re going to remember what we stand for. We still believe that the big issues should be discussed.”
Watch Walz’s victory speech below.
Attorney General
The Attorney General race between incumbent Democrat Keith Ellison and Republican challenger Jim Schultz was not called for either candidate as of 12:03 a.m. Wednesday.
The Minnesota Secretary of State at 11:58 p.m. Tuesday with 81% of precincts reporting showed that Ellison had 51.35% of the votes compared to Shultz’s 48.66%.
“The other message that resonated all around the state is that we should support law enforcement, recognizing there’s bad cops out there and nobody needs a bad cop more than a good cop,” Schultz said at the Republican watch party event in Minneapolis.
Ellison did not speak at the DFL watch party before 11:45 p.m. Tuesday.
Minnesota District 4
The Associated Press declared incumbent Democrat Betty McCollum won reelection to the U.S. House over Republican challenger May Lor Xiong in Minnesota’s 4th Congressional District at 10:44 p.m.
With 99% of precincts reporting, McCollum received 67% of the votes and Lor Xiong received 32% of the votes, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State.
Minnesota District 5
The Associated Press declared incumbent Democrat Ilhan Omar won reelection to the U.S. House over Republican Cicely Davis in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District at 10:06 p.m.
With 100% of precincts reporting, Omar received 74% of the votes and Davis received 24% of the votes, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State.
“I got into this race to dissolve the divide to stand in and stand up for duty,” Davis said during her concession speech at the Republican watch party event. “We will live to do this again.”
Omar did not speak at the DFL watch party before 11:45 p.m. Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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