2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota

none March 2026 September 2023 2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota Minnesota File:Flag of Minnesota (1983-2024).svg 1983 presidential no 1996 United States Senate election in Minnesota 1996 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota 2008 November 5, 2002 145x150px NormColemanCrop2.jpg Norm Coleman Republican Party of Minnesota 1,116,697 49.53% 42 Walter Mondale 3x4.jpg Walter Mondale(replacing Paul Wellstone†) Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party 1,067,246 47.34% 280px County results 280px Precinct results 1 270px Coleman: #FFC8CD 30–40% #FFB2B2 40–50% #E27F7F 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #D72F30 70–80% #C21B18 80–90% #A80000 >90%Mondale: #BDD3FF 30–40% #A5B0FF 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90% #0D0596 >90%Moore: #ffb381 40–50%Wellstone: #BDBDBD 50–60% #969696 60–70% #737373 70–80%Write-ins: #87de87 40–50% #165016 >90%Tie: #DECDE6 30–40% #d2b1d9 40–50% #ae8bb1 50% #808080 No votes U.S. Senator Dean BarkleyIn October 2002, Barkley was appointed by Governor Jesse Ventura to fill the vacancy caused by the death of incumbent Senator Paul Wellstone eleven days before the election. Barkley served the last two months of Wellstone's term. Independence Party (Minnesota) Norm Coleman Republican Party of Minnesota The 2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Senator Paul Wellstone won the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) renomination on September 10 primaries, but he was killed in a plane crash eleven days before the election. The DFL quickly chose former Vice President and 1984 presidential nominee Walter Mondale to replace Wellstone on the ballot. Mondale had previously held the seat from 1964 to 1976, resigning to assume the vice presidency. Mondale narrowly lost to Republican Norm Coleman, the former mayor of Saint Paul. The day before the election, Governor Jesse Ventura had appointed the 1996 Independence Party candidate, Dean Barkley, to serve the remainder of Wellstone's term.https://www.foxnews.com/story/mondale-concedes-to-coleman Mondale Concedes to Coleman FOX News Network, LLC Associated Press November 6, 2002 August 12, 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20080515134959/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,69286,00.html May 15, 2008 live This is the last time in a midterm election that the party controlling the White House flipped a Senate seat in a state they did not win in the preceding presidential election. Wellstone was the last incumbent senator to die ahead of an election after being nominated until Lindsey Graham in the 2026 South Carolina Senate race. This marked the first election that Mondale had lost in Minnesota. He had even narrowly carried the state against Ronald Reagan in what was otherwise his landslide defeat in the 1984 United States presidential election. He lost in 49 states, winning only Minnesota and the District of Columbia. As a result of his defeat in this 2002 senatorial election, Mondale became the first, and so far only, major-party candidate in American history to have lost a general election in every single state. As of , this is the last time a Republican won a U.S. Senate election in Minnesota, and the only time since 1994. Primary elections DFL Paul Wellstone defeated Dick Franson 93% to 5%. Following Wellstone's death 11 days prior to Election Day, the DFL Party nominated Walter Mondale as its replacement candidate. Republican Norm Coleman defeated Jack Shepard 95% to 5%. General election Candidates Norm Coleman, former mayor of Saint Paul and nominee for governor in 1998 (Republican) Miro Drago Kovatchevick, systems analyst from Minneapolis (Constitution) Walter Mondale, former Vice President of the United States and United States Senator (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) Jim Moore, commercial banker from Minneapolis (Independent) Ray Tricomo, professor from Oakdale (Green) Deceased Paul Wellstone, incumbent Senator since 1991 (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) (died October 25) Campaign Mondale campaigned on his experience, and promised more education for students, more safety for seniors, and to "continue Wellstone's fight for people". Coleman campaigned on more jobs, less taxes, a promise of "a brighter future for Minnesota", and to "help change the tone in Washington D.C."Minnesota Senate Campaign Commercials C-SPAN.org https://www.c-span.org/video/?173666-1/minnesota-senate-campaign-commercials 10 April 2022 www.c-span.org At the time of his death, Wellstone was slightly ahead in the polls. After Mondale was chosen as the DFL candidate, he led 47% to 39% in a poll taken a few days before the election.Associated Press October 29, 2002 Poll: Mondale Leads Over Coleman https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/Poll-Mondale-Leads-Over-Coleman-10523979.php Edwardsville Intelligencer Four days after Wellstone's death, a televised public memorial drew significant backlash for a tone that was widely characterized as more appropriate for a "political rally"MPR: Wellstone staff apologizes for memorial service rhetoric https://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200210/30_scheckt_backlash1/ 30 July 2024 news.minnesota.publicradio.org—a story that dominated the final days before the election. Early on Election Day, Mondale was leading, but by nightfall Coleman pulled ahead, winning by 2.2%.2002 General Election Results https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/election-results/2002/2002-general-election-results/ Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State 9 August 2024 Many observers, including the event's host, former St. Paul mayor George Latimer, blamed the memorial's tone for the election result.Grow Doug 24 October 2008 Six years later, Wellstone memorial host Latimer still agonizes over event's political fallout http://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2008/10/six-years-later-wellstone-memorial-host-latimer-still-agonizes-over-events-p/ 30 July 2024 MinnPost en-US Debates Complete video of debate, October 11, 2002 Complete video of debate, October 15, 2002 Complete video of debate, November 1, 2002 Complete video of debate, November 4, 2002 Predictions SourceRankingAs ofSabato's Crystal Ballhttp://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/senate_all.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20021118115505/http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/senate_all.htm November 18, 2002 Senate Races www.centerforpolitics.org en-US November 4, 2002 June 25, 2021 dead Lean DNovember 4, 2002 Results General election results Republican Party of Minnesota Norm Coleman 1,116,697 49.53% +8.25% Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party Walter Mondale 1,067,246 47.34% −2.98% Independence Party (Minnesota) Jim Moore 45,139 2.00% −4.98% Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party Paul Wellstone (incumbent)†Absentee ballots cast for Wellstone before his death. https://open.mitchellhamline.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1075&context=wmlr Erlandson v. Kiffmeyer: Minnesota's Absentee Voting Laws Following the Sudden Death of Incumbent Candidate Paul Wellstone William Mitchell Law Review Brama Elizabeth M. 2003 1 2 404 August 27, 2024 11,381 0.50% n/a Green Party (United States) Ray Tricomo 10,119 0.48% n/a Constitution Party (United States) Miro Drago Kovatchevich 2,254 0.10% n/a 1,803 0.08% n/a 2,254,639 100.00% n/a Republican Party (United States) Independence Party (Minnesota) Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Anoka (largest city: Blaine) Blue Earth (largest city: Mankato) Chisago (largest city: North Branch) Clay (largest city: Moorhead) Dakota (largest city: Hastings) Goodhue (largest city: Red Wing) Isanti (largest city: Cambridge) Kanabec (largest city: Mora) Kandiyohi (largest city: Willmar) Le Sueur (largest city: Le Sueur) Mahnomen (largest city: Mahnomen) Marshall (largest city: Warren) Mille Lacs (largest city: Princeton) Murray (largest city: Slayton) Nicollet (largest city: North Mankato) Polk (largest city: East Grand Forks) Renville (largest city: Olivia) Stevens (largest city: Morris) Washington (largest city: Stillwater) Watonwan (largest city: St. James) Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Fillmore (largest city: Spring Valley) Winona (largest city: Winona) Aftermath After Coleman was declared the winner, Mondale conceded and said in his speech: "At the end of what will be my last campaign, I want to say to Minnesota, you always treated me well, you always listened to me". His loss, combined with his landslide defeat in the United States presidential election in 1984, made him the only American major-party candidate to have lost a general election in every state. Although George McGovern had also lost 49 states in the 1972 presidential election and lost the Massachusetts Democratic presidential primary in 1984, he never lost a general election in Massachusetts. Although Mondale did not seek office again, he remained active politically. Coleman was sworn in on January 3, 2003. He served one term in the United States Senate, losing to Al Franken by a very narrow margin of just 312 votes or 0.01% in the 2008 election. See also 2002 United States Senate elections Notes References External links Official campaign websites (archived) Norm Coleman (R) for Senate Walter Mondale (D) for Senate Paul Wellstone (D) for Senate Minnesota 2002 Category:2002 Minnesota elections Category:Walter Mondale