1968 Election Cycle

Democratic presidential nominee Hubert Humphrey did not get much of a home state advantage – carrying Minnesota by just a dozen points. His loss to Richard Nixon ended a streak of 12 consecutive elections in which the state cast its Electoral College votes for the winning presidential nominee.

The DFL won the first election to the renamed Public Service Commission with (previously named) Railroad and Warehouse Commissioner Paul Rasmussen narrowly holding his seat.

Down the ballot, all five Republican and all three DFL U.S. Representatives were reelected to another term.

Associate Justice William P. Murphy was reelected to a fourth term on the Supreme Court.

Elections

Date Office Stage Winners Details
11/05/1968 U.S. House, District 08 General John A. Blatnik (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) won with 115,343 votes (67.63%) and a winning margin of +35.26
Candidate Gender Party Votes Percent
John A. Blatnik Incumbent Man Democratic-Farmer-Labor 115,343 67.63
James A. Hennen Man Republican 55,209 32.37
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11/05/1968 Public Service Commissioner General Paul A. Rasmussen (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) won with 712,700 votes (50.94%) and a winning margin of +1.87
Candidate Gender Party Votes Percent
Paul A. Rasmussen Incumbent Man Democratic-Farmer-Labor 712,700 50.94
Lyle Nelson Man Republican 686,507 49.06

This election was the most narrowly decided race for Railroad Commissioner, Railroad and Warehouse Commissioner, and Public Service Commissioner in Minnesota history.

Commissioner Rasmussen was reelected to a fourth term and his first to the newly named Public Service Commission. He had served three terms as a member of the Railroad and Warehouse Commission.

Nelson was a Moorhead City Councilman.

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11/05/1968 Supreme Court Associate Justice General William P. Murphy (Nonpartisan) won with 1,092,814 votes (100.00%) and a winning margin of +100.00
Candidate Gender Party Votes Percent
William P. Murphy Incumbent Man Nonpartisan 1,092,814 100.00

Associate Justice Murphy was reelected to a fourth term without opposition. Murphy resigned on April 4, 1972 to retire from public office. Governor Wendell Anderson appointed Harry MacLaughlin to fill the vacancy on April 4, 1972. MacLaughlin was an attorney from Minneapolis and instructor at William Mitchell College of Law.

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11/05/1968 Supreme Court Associate Justice General James C. Otis (Nonpartisan) won with 1,049,710 votes (100.00%) and a winning margin of +100.00
Candidate Gender Party Votes Percent
James C. Otis Incumbent Man Nonpartisan 1,049,710 100.00

Associate Justice Otis was reelected to a third term without opposition.

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11/05/1968 President / Vice President General Hubert H. Humphrey (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) won with 857,738 votes (54.00%) and a winning margin of +12.53
Candidate Gender Party Votes Percent
Hubert H. Humphrey with Edmund Muskie Man Democratic-Farmer-Labor 857,738 54.00
Richard Nixon with Spiro Agnew Man Republican 658,643 41.46
George Wallace with S. Marvin Griffin Man American 68,931 4.34
Leroy Eldridge Cleaver with Peggy Terry Man Peace and Freedom 935 0.06
Fred Halstead with Paul Boutelle Man Socialist Workers 808 0.05
Eugene J. McCarthy Man Write-In 585 0.04
Charlene Mitchell with Michael Zagarell Woman Communist 415 0.03
Henning Blomen with George Taylor Man Industrial Government 285 0.02

Humphrey and Muskie each received Minnesota's 10 Electoral College votes. The 54.00 percent won by Humphrey in his home state was his best showing in the 12-state Midwest region but only his sixth best across the country behind Washington D.C. (81.82 percent), Rhode Island (64.03 percent), Massachusetts (63.01 percent), Hawaii (59.83 percent), and Maine (55.30 percent). The sitting Vice President did not receive a majority of the vote in any other state.

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