Elections: 1857-present. Elections for Attorney General were held for two-year terms in odd-numbered years beginning in 1857. A constitutional amendment was passed in 1883 requiring state elections to be held in even-numbered years beginning in 1886 with the winner for Attorney General in 1883 serving a three-year term. From 1886 through 1960, the term for Attorney General remained two years - increasing to four years in 1962. Primaries for Attorney General were first held in September 1912. There have never been term limits for this office.
Most recent elections
Date
Office
Stage
Winners
Details
11/08/2022
Attorney General
General
Keith M. Ellison (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) won with 1,254,371 votes (50.37%) and a winning margin of +0.84
Candidate
Gender
Party
Votes
Percent
Keith M. Ellison
Incumbent
Man
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
1,254,371
50.37
Jim Schultz
Man
Republican
1,233,556
49.53
Scattering
Write-In
2,362
0.09
Laurice Anderson
Woman
Write-In
12
0.00
Attorney General Ellison was reelected to a second term. The 0.84-point margin was the second closest general election for the office in Minnesota history, behind only DFL Secretary of State Miles Lord's 0.42-point defeat of Republican Keith Kennedy in 1956.
Jim Schultz (Republican) won with 163,944 votes (52.51%) and a winning margin of +17.75
Candidate
Gender
Party
Votes
Percent
Jim Schultz
Man
Republican
163,944
52.51
Doug Wardlow
Man
Republican
108,537
34.76
Sharon L. Anderson
Woman
Republican
39,723
12.72
Schultz was an attorney from Plymouth.
Wardlow was an attorney from Eagan, former state Representative (HD 38B, 2011-2013), and GOP Attorney General nominee in 2018.
Anderson was a resident of St. Paul. This was her 11th failed attempt to become the state attorney general, also losing the Independent-Republican primaries of 1982, 1986, and 1990, the 1994 general election, and the 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 Republican primaries.
Keith M. Ellison (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) won with 378,367 votes (89.35%) and a winning margin of +78.70
Candidate
Gender
Party
Votes
Percent
Keith M. Ellison
Incumbent
Man
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
378,367
89.35
Bill Dahn
Man
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
45,110
10.65
Attorney General Ellison was renominated for a second term.
Dahn was a perennial candidate from Landfall, GOP gubernatorial candidate in 1998, Independence gubernatorial candidate in 2002, Independence U.S. Senate candidate in 2008, Independence Attorney General nominee in 2010, and DFL gubernatorial candidate in 2014.
Keith M. Ellison (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) won with 1,249,407 votes (48.96%) and a winning margin of +3.88
Candidate
Gender
Party
Votes
Percent
Keith M. Ellison
Man
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
1,249,407
48.96
Doug Wardlow
Man
Republican
1,150,459
45.08
Noah Johnson
Man
Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis
145,748
5.71
Scattering
Write-In
5,375
0.21
Tom Foley
Man
Write-In
771
0.03
Bennett Martin Sukalski
Man
Write-In
12
0.00
This was the most competitive election for the office since 1970 when DFLer Warren Spannaus won an open seat race against Robert Forsythe by 2.72 points.
Ellison was a six-term U.S. Representative (CD 05, 2007-2019) and Deputy Chair of the Democratic National Committee (2017-2018).
Wardlow was an attorney from Eagan and former state Representative (HD 38B, 2011-2013).
Keith M. Ellison (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) won with 281,142 votes (49.81%) and a winning margin of +30.67
Candidate
Gender
Party
Votes
Percent
Keith M. Ellison
Man
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
281,142
49.81
Debra Hilstrom
Woman
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
108,048
19.14
Tom Foley
Man
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
70,786
12.54
Matt Pelikan
Man
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
59,876
10.61
Mike Rothman
Man
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
44,522
7.89
Ellison was a six-term U.S. Representative (CD 05, 2007-2019) and Deputy Chair of the Democratic National Committee (2017-2018).
Histrom was a state Representative (HD 47B, 2001-2003; HD 46B, 2003-2013; HD 40B, 2013-2019).
Foley was an attorney from St. Paul, former Ramsey County Attorney (1979-1995), DFL candidate for U.S. Senate in 1994 and Lieutenant Governor in 1998, and Independence Party nominee for the 4th CD in 2000.
Pelikan was an attorney from Northfield and received the DFL endorsement.
Rothman was a former state Commerce Commissioner (2011-2017).