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Republican Party of Minnesota

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Republican Party of Minnesota
ChairpersonAlex Plechash
Senate LeaderMark Johnson
House SpeakerLisa Demuth
Founded
Headquarters
Student wingCollege Republicans
Youth wingYoung Republicans
IdeologyConservatism
National affiliationRepublican Party
Colors  Red
Minnesota Senate
33 / 67
Minnesota House of Representatives
67 / 134
Statewide Executive Offices
0 / 5
United States Senate
0 / 2
United States House of Representatives
4 / 8
Election symbol
Website
www.mngop.org

The Republican Party of Minnesota is the state affiliate of the Republican Party in Minnesota and Minnesota's oldest active political party. Founded in 1855, it is headquartered in Edina, Minnesota, and its chairman is Alex Plechash.[1]

Since 2011, as a result of the 2010 Minnesota elections, the Republican Party of Minnesota has held no statewide executive offices or U.S. Senate seats. It holds exactly half, or 67, of the 134 seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives, and is the minority party in the Minnesota Senate by one seat. The party controls four of Minnesota's congressional districts, as do the Democrats. The last Republican governor of Minnesota was Tim Pawlenty, who served from 2003 to 2011.

The last Republican presidential nominee to win Minnesota was Richard Nixon in 1972. Minnesota is the state with the longest streak of not voting for the Republican nominee in presidential elections; it was the only state not to vote for Ronald Reagan in either the 1980 United States presidential election or the 1984 United States presidential election).

History

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Early history

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The Republican Party in Minnesota was the state's dominant party for about the first 70 years of Minnesota's statehood, from 1858 through the 1920s. In the Civil War, Minnesota supported Abolitionism and the Union.[2] Republican candidates routinely won the state governorship and most other state offices, having 12 out of the first 13.[3]

The 1892 Republican National Convention was held in Minneapolis. The party was aided by an opposition divided between the Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party, which eventually merged in 1944.

Independent-Republican era

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The Independent-Republicans of Minnesota (I-R) was the party's name from November 15, 1975, to September 23, 1995. The name was changed because the "Republican" brand was widely thought to have been damaged by the Watergate Scandal. Polls in the early-mid-1970s indicated Minnesotans were more likely to vote for candidates who identified as Independents than Republicans. During that time, the state party became more dependent on grassroots fundraising and eventually went bankrupt.[citation needed] After the national party pumped money into it in the early-mid-1980s, its image and base began turning more conservative. During this time the party held both of Minnesota's U.S. Senate seats and briefly controlled the state House of Representatives. By 1994, the grassroots had turned socially more conservative, and the name changed back in 1995. Attempts to drop "Independent" had been defeated in 1989, 1991, and 1993.

2000-2010s

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In the 2006 U.S. Senate election, the party endorsed Mark Kennedy for United States Senate. He lost to Amy Klobuchar.

In the 2008 U.S. Senate election, incumbent Republican Senator Norm Coleman lost to Democratic-Farmer-Labor nominee Al Franken by 312 votes out of over 2.5 million cast after a long series of contentious recounts and lawsuits.

The party was fined $170,000 for violating federal campaign finance regulations from 2003 to 2008.[4] Minnesota Republican Party chairman Tony Sutton was convicted of breaking finance laws in the 2010 gubernatorial election recount and fined $33,000.[5][6]

Minnesota's most recent Republican governor is Tim Pawlenty. He was elected in 2002 and reelected in 2006. In 2010, Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Emmer lost to DFL nominee Mark Dayton. While losing every executive race in 2010, the party captured both chambers of the Minnesota Legislature for the first time since the 1970s,[7] and 18-term Representative Jim Oberstar lost to Republican nominee Chip Cravaack in Minnesota's 8th district.

2010 gubernatorial race

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In the 2010 statewide elections, the party endorsed State Representative Tom Emmer and Metropolitan Council member Annette Meeks for governor and lieutenant governor. State Representative Dan Severson was the endorsed candidate for secretary of state. Attorney and psychologist Chris Barden was the endorsed candidate for attorney general. Patricia Anderson was the endorsed candidate for state auditor. All five lost their elections.

After the 2010 gubernatorial recount, the party was heavily in debt, owing $2 million primarily for the recount. It had stopped paying rent on its headquarters near the Capitol and the landlord filed an eviction summons once the party fell $111,000 behind in rent.[5][8] In January 2014, it announced it would move its headquarters to Minneapolis's Seward neighborhood. The new headquarters is diagonally across from the Seward Community Cafe and shares a building with a Pizza Luce.[9] Party Chairman Keith Downey said the party had moved out of St. Paul "to be closer to the people".[10] The headquarters were later moved to Edina.[11] After taking control of both houses of the State Legislature for the first time in three decades in 2010, the party lost them both in 2012.

Recent history

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In 2021, the Minnesota Republican Party became a subject of controversy when donor and strategist Anton Lazzaro was indicted for sex trafficking charges.[12] Minnesota Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan resigned amid the controversy.[13]

Republican nominee Scott Jensen lost the 2022 gubernatorial race[14][15] to incumbent Tim Walz.[16] The party also lost its majority in the Minnesota Senate, giving the DFL a trifecta,[17] but kept its four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Ideology and voter base

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Minnesota Republicans' base is in rural and suburban parts of Greater Minnesota.

2022 party platform

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The party's 2022 platform opposed abortion access,[18] calling for the overturning[19] of Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which subsequently happened,[20][21] and of the Minnesota ruling Doe v. Gomez, which still stands. It also opposed legal recognition of same-sex marriage[22] and supported "prohibition of Ranked Choice Voting in Minnesota."[23] On gun policy, the platform said that citizens who follow the law should "have the right to purchase and possess firearms, free from any gun registration system."[24] On education, the platform opposed "any element of Critical Race Theory or associated curricula and programs."[25]

Current elected officials

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The Minnesota Republican Party holds none of the five statewide elected offices, neither United States Senate seat, and four of the state's eight United States House of Representatives seats. It holds a minority of seats in the Minnesota Senate and exactly half the seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Members of Congress

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U.S. Senate

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  • None

Both of Minnesota's U.S. Senate seats have been held by Democrats since 2009. Norm Coleman was the last Republican to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate.

U.S. House of Representatives

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Of the eight seats Minnesota is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans hold four:

District Member Photo
1st Brad Finstad
6th Tom Emmer
7th Michelle Fischbach
8th Pete Stauber

Statewide offices

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  • None

Minnesota has not elected a Republican to statewide office since 2006, when Tim Pawlenty was narrowly reelected governor. Pawlenty opted not to seek reelection in 2010. State representative Tom Emmer was the Republican nominee in the 2010 election and lost to DFL nominee Mark Dayton.

State legislature

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List of Chairs

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Electoral history

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President

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Election Republican Ticket Total Vote Voteshare Result
1932 Herbert Hoover/Charles Curtis 363,959 36.29% Lost
1936 Alf Landon/Frank Knox 350,461 31.01% Lost
1940 Wendell Willkie/Charles L. McNary 596,274 47.66% Lost
1944 Thomas E. Dewey/John W. Bricker 527,416 46.86% Lost
1948 Thomas E. Dewey/Earl Warren 483,617 39.89% Lost
1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower/Richard Nixon 763,211 55.33% Won
1956 Dwight D. Eisenhower/Richard Nixon 719,302 53.68% Won
1960 Richard Nixon/Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. 757,915 49.16% Lost
1964 Barry Goldwater/William E. Miller 559,624 36.00% Lost
1968 Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew 658,643 41.46% Lost
1972 Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew 898,269 51.58% Won
1976 Gerald Ford/Bob Dole 819,395 42.02% Lost
1980 Ronald Reagan/George H. W. Bush 873,241 42.56% Lost
1984 Ronald Reagan/George H. W. Bush 1,032,603 49.54% Lost
1988 George H. W. Bush/Dan Quayle 962,337 45.90% Lost
1992 George H. W. Bush/Dan Quayle 747,841 31.85% Lost
1996 Bob Dole/Jack Kemp 766,476 34.96% Lost
2000 George W. Bush/Dick Cheney 1,109,659 45.50% Lost
2004 George W. Bush/Dick Cheney 1,346,695 47.61% Lost
2008 John McCain/Sarah Palin 1,275,409 43.82% Lost
2012 Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan 1,320,225 44.96% Lost
2016 Donald Trump/Mike Pence 1,323,232 44.93% Lost
2020 Donald Trump/Mike Pence 1,484,065 45.28% Lost
2024 Donald Trump/JD Vance 1,519,032 46.68% Lost

State

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Governor

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Year Candidate Votes % Won
1857 Alexander Ramsey 17,550 49.66 No
1859 21,335 54.82 Yes
1861 16,274 60.9 Yes
1863 Stephen Miller 19,628 60.6 Yes
1865 William Rainey Marshall 17,318 55.58 Yes
1867 34,874 54.17 Yes
1869 Horace Austin 27,348 50.17 Yes
1871 46,950 60.06 Yes
1873 Cushman Kellogg Davis 40,741 52.90 Yes
1875 John S. Pillsbury 47,073 56.08 Yes
1877 57,071 57.05 Yes
1879 57,524 54.18 Yes
1881 Lucius Frederick Hubbard 65,025 61.59 Yes
1883 72,462 53.42 Yes
1886 Andrew Ryan McGill 107,064 48.54 Yes
1888 William Rush Merriam 134,355 51.35 Yes
1890 88,111 36.58 Yes
1892 Knute Nelson 109,220 42.68 Yes
1894 147,943 49.94 Yes
1896 David Marston Clough 165,806 49.17 Yes
1898 William Henry Eustis 111,796 44.26 No
1900 Samuel Rinnah Van Sant 152,905 48.67 Yes
1902 155,849 57.53 Yes
1904 Robert C. Dunn 140,130 46.13 No
1906 Albert L. Cole 96,162 34.78 No
1908 Jacob F. Jacobson 147,997 43.88 No
1910 Adolph Olson Eberhart 164,185 55.73 Yes
1912 129,688 40.73 Yes
1914 William E. Lee 143,730 41.87 No
1916 Joseph A. A. Burnquist 245,841 62.94 Yes
1918 166,515 42.73 Yes
1920 J. A. O. Preus 415,805 53.06 Yes
1922 309,756 45.21 Yes
1924 Theodore Christianson 406,692 48.71 Yes
1926 395,779 56.49 Yes
1928 549,857 55.00 Yes
1930 Ray P. Chase 289,528 36.31 No
1932 Earle Brown 334,081 32.34 No
1934 Martin A. Nelson 396,359 37.72 No
1936 431,841 38.55 No
1938 Harold Stassen 678,839 59.92 Yes
1940 654,686 52.06 Yes
1942 409,800 51.60 Yes
1944 Edward John Thye 701,185 61.59 Yes
1946 Luther Youngdahl 519,067 58.96 Yes
1948 643,572 53.15 Yes
1950 635,800 60.75 Yes
1952 C. Elmer Anderson 785,125 55.33 Yes
1954 538,865 46.80 No
1956 Ancher Nelsen 685,196 48.18 No
1958 George MacKinnon 490,731 42.31 No
1960 Elmer Andersen 783,813 50.56 Yes
1962 619,751 49.71 No
1966 Harold LeVander 680,593 52.55 Yes
1970 Douglas M. Head 621,780 45.54 No
1974 John W. Johnson 376,722 29.35 No
1978 Al Quie 830,019 52.35 Yes
1982 Wheelock Whitney, Jr. 711,796 39.86 No
1986 Cal Ludeman 606,755 43.09 No
1990 Arne Carlson 895,988 50.11 Yes
1994 1,094,165 63.34 Yes
1998 Norm Coleman 717,350 34.29 No
2002 Tim Pawlenty 999,473 44.37 Yes
2006 1,028,568 46.69 Yes
2010 Tom Emmer 910,462 43.21 No
2014 Jeff Johnson 879,257 44.51 No
2018 1,097,705 42.43 No
2022 Scott Jensen 1,119,941 44.61 No

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Herscowitz, Eva (December 16, 2024). "State Republicans pick Alex Plechash as party chair". Minnesota Star Tribune. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  2. ^ "THE GENESIS OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN MINNESOTA" (PDF). Minnesota Historical Society. The demand for the organization of a new anti-slavery party, following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill in May, 1854, was most urgent in the region of the Old North-west. On July 6, in a state mass meeting made up of Whigs, anti-slavery Democrats, and Free-Soilers, Michigan gave the name Republican to the party whose formal organization was effected at this convention... Minnesota was slow in joining the movement.
  3. ^ Sturdevant, Lori. "Politics in Minnesota". mnopedia.org. Archived from the original on 2022-09-25. Retrieved 2023-02-22. While Minnesota's first governor, Henry Sibley, was a Democrat, his successor, Alexander Ramsey, and the state's next eleven governors all affiliated with the Republican Party—the party of Lincoln
  4. ^ http://www.citypages.com, AUGUST 19, 2011, MINNESOTA GOP FINED $170,000 FOR FEC VIOLATIONS BY MIKE MULLEN, [1]
  5. ^ a b http://www.mprnews.org, July 13, 2012, Minn. GOP, former chairman fined over recount by Tom Scheck [2]
  6. ^ "GOP chairman Sutton to join PR company". Startribune.com. 2011-01-17. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  7. ^ Kaszuka, Mike (November 4, 2010). "Republicans celebrate, outline legislative goals". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on September 15, 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  8. ^ Helgeson, Baird; Stassen-Berger, Rachel E. (April 23, 2012). "Debt-laden Minn. GOP notified of eviction". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  9. ^ Helgeson, Baird (December 9, 2013). "State GOP moves HQ to Minneapolis DFL stronghold". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 23, 2014. The new location puts the party headquarters in the heart of a longtime DFL stronghold.
  10. ^ Salisbury, Bill (December 9, 2013). "Minnesota GOP to move offices from St. Paul to Minneapolis". Pioneer Press. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  11. ^ "About | MNGOP". Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  12. ^
  13. ^ Kare 11 Staff (20 August 2021). "Minnesota GOP Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan resigns". KARE 11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "Minnesota GOP Endorses Dr. Scott Jensen To Take On Gov. Tim Walz". CBS News. 2022-05-14. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  15. ^ Van Berkel, Jessie; Woodall, Hunter (2022-05-14). "Minnesota GOP backs Scott Jensen in race to unseat Gov. Tim Walz". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  16. ^ *"2022 General Election Results". Secretary of State. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  17. ^ Callaghan, Peter (9 November 2022). "MinnPost analysis: DFL turns GOP talk of midterm dominance into 'trifecta' of its own". Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  18. ^ "2022 Republican Party of Minnesota Platform" (PDF). mngop.org. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-22. The U.S. and Minnesota Constitutions should be amended to restore legal protection to the lives of innocent human beings from conception to natural death.
  19. ^ "2022 Republican Party of Minnesota Platform" (PDF). mngop.org. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-22. We call for overturning the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Gomez decisions.
  20. ^ Sherman, Mark (2022-06-25). "Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade; states can ban abortion". AP News. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  21. ^ "Roe v Wade: US Supreme Court ends constitutional right to abortion". BBC. 2022-06-24. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  22. ^ "2022 Republican Party of Minnesota Platform" (PDF). mngop.org. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-22. We believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. Therefore, we: Call on the Minnesota State Legislature to repeal it new laws to the contrary.
  23. ^ "2022 Republican Party of Minnesota Platform" (PDF). mngop.org. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  24. ^ "2022 Republican Party of Minnesota Platform" (PDF). mngop.org. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  25. ^ "2022 Republican Party of Minnesota Platform" (PDF). mngop.org. p. 7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-22. We oppose any element of Critical Race Theory (CRT) or associated curricula and programs such as Social Emotional Learning, Ethnic Studies and Culturally Responsive Teaching.
  26. ^ "Peterson, Paul Kenneth "P. Kenneth, P.K." - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present". www.lrl.mn.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  27. ^ "MPR: Minnesota Republicans dump their party's boss". news.minnesota.publicradio.org. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
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