Incumbent Gov. Tim Walz (D) defeated Scott Jensen (R) and eight other candidates in the general election for governor of Minnesota on November 8, 2022.

Walz’s win contributed to Minnesota becoming a Democratic trifecta, as Democrats maintained their majority in the Minnesota House of Representatives and gained a majority in the Minnesota State Senate.

Walz served in the Army National Guard and was a teacher in Mankato, Minnesota.^[1] He was first elected to Minnesota's 1st congressional district in 2006 and served in the U.S. House until 2019. Walz was elected governor in 2018, defeating Jeff Johnson (R), 54% to 42%. Walz said that his administration had built a strong economy in his first term. He said that he "balanced every budget while cutting taxes, adding money to the state’s rainy-day fund, and making critical investments to expand access to training opportunities and community college programs."^[2]

Jensen, a physician, was owner of Catalyst Medical Clinic in Watertown, Minnesota. He was a member of the Waconia School Board and served in the Minnesota State Senate from 2017 to 2021. He listed his top campaign priorities as stopping crime, fighting inflation, lowering energy costs, protecting and supporting women, and increasing rural prosperity.^[3] Jensen explained why he was running, saying, "Our great State has suffered under unilateral control, partisan bickering, and political brinksmanship by the parties and politicians...We need a new vision, a new prescription... It’s time for a new direction in Minnesota."^[4]

From 1990 to 2022, Minnesota had two Democratic governors, two Republican governors, and one governor who was elected as a member of the Reform Party. Walz succeeded Mark Dayton (D), who served as governor from 2011 to 2019.

Heading into the 2022 elections, Minnesota was one of 13 states with divided government and one of two states—along with Virginia—where partisan control of the state legislature was split between Democrats and Republicans. From 1992 to 2022, Minnesota had divided government for 28 out of 30 years.

The 2020 and 2016 presidential elections in Minnesota were both decided by seven percentage points or less. In the 2020 election, President Joe Biden (D) won the state over then-incumbent President Donald Trump (R), 52% to 45%. In 2016, Hillary Clinton carried Minnesota with 46.4% of the vote to Trump's (D) 44.9%. At the start of the 2022 election cycle, Inside Elections rated this race Solid Democratic.^[5]

Thirty-six states held gubernatorial elections in 2022. Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 28 Republican governors and 22 Democratic governors. Of those states holding gubernatorial elections, 20 had a Republican governor, and 16 states had a Democratic one. In 2022, eight governors—five Republicans and three Democrats—did not run for re-election, with seven of those not running due to term limits.

Minor party and write-in candidates included Steve Patterson (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota), Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota), James McCaskel (Legal Marijuana Now Party), Gabrielle Prosser (Socialist Workers Party), and independent write-in candidates Loner Blue, Joshua Olgbolahan Jubril, Joyce Lacey, and Mohamed Mourssi-Alfash.

As of 2022, Minnesota was one of nine states where the lieutenant governor is chosen by each gubernatorial candidate before the primaries and runs on a single ticket in both the primary and general elections. The table below displays the governor and lieutenant governor candidates for each ticket.

Minnesota governor and lieutenant governor tickets, 2022
Party	Gubernatorial candidate	Lieutenant governor running mate
Democrat	Tim Walz	Peggy Flanagan
Republican	Scott Jensen	Matt Birk
Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota	Steve Patterson	Matt Huff
Independence Party of Minnesota	Hugh McTavish	Mike Winter
Legal Marijuana Now Party	James McCaskel	David Sandbeck
Socialist Workers Party	Gabrielle Prosser	Kevin A. Dwire

Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.

For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Election news[edit]

Click below to view a timeline leading up to the election, including polling, debates, and other noteworthy events.

November 9, 2022: Gov. Tim Walz (D) was projected as the winner over Scott Jensen (R) and eight other candidates in the November 8, 2022, general election for governor of Minnesota.

October 31, 2022: Pre-General election campaign finance filings were due. Walz reported raising $5.7 million and spending $8.6 million and Jensen reported raising $4.4 million and spending $4.9 million during 2022.^[6]^[7]

September 18, 2022: The Trafalgar Group released a poll of 1,079 likely voters sponsored by Alpha News showing Gov. Tim Walz (D) with 48%, Scott Jensen with 45%, and 7% selecting another candidate or undecided. The margin of error was ± 2.9 percentage points.^[8]

September 17, 2022: Mason Dixon Polling and Strategy released a poll of 800 likely voters sponsored by MPR News, the Star Tribune, and KARE 11 showing Gov. Tim Walz (D) with 48%, Scott Jensen with 41%, and 11% selecting another candidate or undecided. The margin of error was ± 3.5 percentage points.^[9]

September 6, 2022: Survey USA released a poll of 562 likely voters sponsored by KSTP showing Gov. Tim Walz (D) with 51%, Scott Jensen with 33%, and 16% selecting another candidate or undecided. The margin of error was ± 4.9 percentage points.^[10]

August 9, 2022: Gov. Tim Walz won the Democratic primary and Scott Jensen won the Republican primary.

August 3, 2022: Jensen and Walz participated in a debate at Farmfest near Redwood Falls, Minnesota.^[11]

March 8, 2022: Scott Jensen selected Matt Birk as his lieutenant gubernatorial running mate.^[12]

Candidates and election results[edit]

Governor[edit]

General election

General election for Governor of Minnesota

The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Minnesota on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tim Walz (D)	52.3	1,312,349
		Scott Jensen (R)	44.6	1,119,941
	Submit photo	James McCaskel (Legal Marijuana Now Party)	1.2	29,346
		Steve Patterson (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota)	0.9	22,599
		Hugh McTavish (Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota)	0.7	18,156
	Submit photo	Gabrielle Prosser (Socialist Workers Party)	0.3	7,241
		Joyce Lacey (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	11
	Submit photo	Mohamed Mourssi-Alfash (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	5
		Loner Blue (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	4
	Submit photo	Joshua Olgbolahan Jubril (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	1,009

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,510,661
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Cory Hepola (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota

Incumbent Tim Walz defeated Ole Savior in the Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Tim Walz	96.5	416,973
	Ole Savior	3.5	14,950

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 431,923
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Brandon Millholland-Corcoran (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota

Scott Jensen defeated Joyce Lacey and Bob Carney Jr. in the Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Scott Jensen	89.3	288,499
	Joyce Lacey	6.6	21,308
	Bob Carney Jr.	4.1	13,213

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 323,020
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary election

Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary for Governor of Minnesota

Steve Patterson defeated Darrell Paulsen in the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Patterson	59.1	1,003
	Submit photo	Darrell Paulsen	40.9	693

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,696
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Legal Marijuana Now Party primary election

Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for Governor of Minnesota

James McCaskel defeated Chris Wright in the Legal Marijuana Now Party primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	James McCaskel	51.9	1,461
		Chris Wright	48.1	1,356

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,817
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Lieutenant Governor[edit]

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota

The following candidates ran in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Peggy Flanagan (D)	52.3	1,312,349
		Matt Birk (R)	44.6	1,119,941
		David Sandbeck (Legal Marijuana Now Party)	1.2	29,346
	Submit photo	Matt Huff (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota)	0.9	22,599
		Mike Winter (Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota)	0.7	18,156
	Submit photo	Kevin A. Dwire (Socialist Workers Party)	0.3	7,241
	Submit photo	Kent Edwards (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	11
	Submit photo	Lance Hegland (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	5
	Submit photo	Al Smith (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	4
	Submit photo	Olamide Jubril (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	1,009

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,510,661
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Tamara Uselman (Independent)

Voting information[edit]

See also: Voting in Minnesota

Election information in Minnesota: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
By mail: Received by Oct. 18, 2022
Online: Oct. 18, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Nov. 7, 2022
By mail: Received by Nov. 7, 2022
Online: Nov. 7, 2022

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Sep. 23, 2022 to Nov. 7, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

N/A

Candidate comparison[edit]

Candidate profiles[edit]

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Tim Walz

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office:

Governor of Minnesota (Assumed office: 2019)
U.S. House of Representatives - Minnesota District 1 (2007-2019)

Biography: Walz received a bachelor's degree in social science from Chadron State College. His professional experience includes serving in the Army National Guard and as a high school teacher at Mankato West High School. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019 and was elected governor of Minnesota in 2018.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Walz said that his administration had built a strong economy in his first term, saying on his campaign website that he "balanced every budget while cutting taxes, adding money to the state’s rainy-day fund, and making critical investments to expand access to training opportunities and community college programs."

Walz said in his first term that he had "made a major push to expand access to pre-kindergarten, and their most recent budget included major investments in summer learning programs to ensure that students statewide stay up to speed on their education despite the pandemic."

Walz said on his campaign website that he had "helped pass important public safety reforms to tackle crime and reduce gun violence while reforming policing to ensure the safety of all Minnesotans." and "proposed $300 million to help local governments fund law enforcement, first responders, and improve public safety."

Show sources

Sources: Walz-Flanagan, "Accomplishments," accessed August 18, 2022; ; State of Minnesota, Office of Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, "Governor Tim Walz," accessed August 18, 2022;

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Minnesota in 2022.

Scott Jensen

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

Minnesota State Senate, District 47 (2017-2021)
Waconia (MN) School Board (1993-2002)

Biography: Jensen received a bachelor's degree in physiology from the University of Minnesota, attended Luther Theological Seminary, and a medical degree from the University of Minnesota. His professional experience includes serving as a physician in private practice. He served on the Waconia School Board from 1993 to 2002 and in the Minnesota State Senate from 2017 to 2021.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Jensen listed his top campaign priorities on his website as stopping crime, fighting inflation, lowering energy costs, protecting and supporting women, and increasing rural prosperity.

Jensen's plan for reducing crime on his campaign website included proposals to "Make Carjacking a Crime with Harsh Penalty, Stop Non-Profit Funding to Bail out Criminals, Bring in the State Patrol to Reinstate Order, and Stiffen penalties for repeat, violent criminals to felony levels and increase sentencing guidelines for such crimes."

Jensen stated a plan to lower gas prices which included provisions to "Increase the availability of higher biofuel blends in Minnesota without a E15 mandate...Suspend the 28.6 cent Minnesota gas tax and freeze the 2 cent click on tax for gas...and directing our Commerce Department to report...on any measure...to reduce the fuel costs on Minnesotans at either the retail, wholesale or production level.

Show sources

Sources: Dr. Scott Jensen for Governor, "Issues," accessed August 18, 2022; Dr. Scott Jensen for Governor, "A Plan to Cut Gas Prices; Relief for Minnesotans," accessed August 18, 2022; ; Dr. Scott Jensen for Governor, "About Dr. Scott Jensen," accessed August 18, 2022;

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Minnesota in 2022.

Hugh McTavish

Party: Independence-Alliance Party of Minnesota

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I am a Ph.D. biochemist, patent attorney, inventor, entrepreneur, and author. I have started two pharmaceutical companies off my own inventions. I have 21 U.S. patents, 18 scientific journal articles, have authored three books, and have started two pharmaceutical companies off of my own inventions. Like all of us, I have had adversity in my life, and I try to turn those events for good. When I got cancer, I invented a better cancer drug and started a company around it. When Gov. Walz locked us in our homes for 6 weeks and thereby drove me and 1 in 5 of us into depression, I took that adversity as fuel and started a nonprofit COVID Sanity and wrote a book COVID Lockdown Insanity to document the harms of the lockdown response to COVID, especially the huge increases in depression, drug abuse, and deaths of despair, and how vastly those harms exceeded the benefits. Easily my greatest invention is what I call “Jury Democracy,” and that is the reason I am running for office. It can transform the way we do government, entirely for the better. "

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Jury Democracy. Empowering the people. I will call juries of 500+ randomly selected citizens to the capital to listen to the arguments and evidence from both sides on one bill or proposal, break into small groups of 12 to discuss it, and then vote by secret ballot. Every bill to become law and every important decision will require the approval of a citizen jury. Effectively, I will not be Governor, WE ALL WILL BE! Decisions will be made: (1) By reason and evidence instead of money and influence (2) By civil discourse instead of division and screaming at each other (3) By all of us, instead of by politicians and bureaucrats

Govern with the goal of happiness, instead of GDP growth. We will measure and track happiness, depression, and loneliness as carefully as we now measure economic statistics. Toward that end I propose (1) Replace the mask mandate with a Name Tag Request. Ask that all of us wear name tag that says “Minnesota Nice” and your first name on it. It will promote connection and be a reminder to be nice. (2) The “Minnesota Siesta.” I will ask all of us to take a 15 minute walk outside once a week at 2 pm on Thursdays. This also will promote connection and happiness and exercise and being outside.

Rewild Minnesota and share the planet with wild species. Sharing is a value we should have learned in kindergarten. I propose that over a 50-year period we rewild 50% of the land. We return it to nature and to the primary use of wild species. I want buffalo roaming wild, abundant native prairie, and wolves, cougars, and bears restored to their native range over 50% of the land. This is economically feasible, but it is only possible with Jury Democracy for reasons explained at McTavish4MN.org.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Minnesota in 2022.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses[edit]

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?