2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota
The 2002 United States Senate election in Minnesota took place on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone was running for reelection to a third term, but died in a plane crash eleven days before the election. The Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) 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 take office as Vice President. He narrowly lost to Republican Norm Coleman, the former Mayor of Saint Paul. The day before the election, Governor Jesse Ventura appointed the 1996 Independence Party candidate, Dean Barkley, to serve the remainder of Wellstone's term.[1] As of 2020, this is the last Senate election in Minnesota won by a Republican.
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 County results Coleman: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Mondale: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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State executive elections
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Primary elections
DFL
Paul Wellstone defeated Dick Franson 93% to 5%.
Republican
Norm Coleman defeated Jack Shepard 95% to 5%.
General election
Candidates on the ballot
- Norm Coleman (R), mayor of Saint Paul
- Walter Mondale (D), former Vice President of the United States
- Jim Moore (I), commercial banker from Minneapolis
- Paul Wellstone* (D), incumbent U.S. Senator
- Ray Tricomo (G), professor from Oakdale
- Miro Drago Kovatchevick (C), systems analyst from Minneapolis
* Wellstone appeared on the ballot despite his death (he had been replaced by Mondale)
Campaign
At the time of his death, Wellstone was slightly ahead in the polls. After Mondale was chosen as the DFL candidate, he led 51% to 45% in a poll taken a few days before the election. Early on Election Day, Mondale was leading, but by nightfall Coleman pulled ahead, winning by 2.2 percentage points.
Debates
- Complete video of debate, October 15, 2002
- Complete video of debate, November 1, 2002
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Norm Coleman | 1,116,697 | 49.53% | +8.25% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Walter Mondale | 1,067,246 | 47.34% | -2.98% | |
| Independence | Jim Moore | 45,139 | 2.00% | -4.98% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Paul Wellstone (incumbent) † | 11,381 | 0.50% | n/a | |
| Green | Ray Tricomo | 10,119 | 0.48% | n/a | |
| Constitution | Miro Drago Kovatchevich | 2,254 | 0.10% | n/a | |
| Write-in | 1,803 | 0.80% | n/a | ||
| Total votes | 2,254,639 | 100.00% | n/a | ||
| Republican gain from Independence | |||||
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 lose a general election in all 50 states as George McGovern had also lost 49 states (in 1972) and lost the Massachusetts primary in 1984. 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 small margin in the 2008 election.
References
- Associated Press (November 6, 2002). "Mondale Concedes to Coleman". FOX News Network, LLC. Archived from the original on May 15, 2008. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
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