All but one incumbent rolled to victory in constitutional offices this cycle: the DFL gubernatorial ticket of Rudy Perpich and Marlene Johnson, DFL Secretary of State Joan Anderson Growe, Independent-Republican Auditor Arne Carlson, and DFL Attorney General Skip Humphrey. However, DFL Treasurer Bob Mattson, Jr. lost the party endorsement and nomination to Bloomington business consultant Michael McGrath who held the seat for the DFL in November.
For the second consecutive cycle all eight U.S. Representatives were reelected – five DFLers and three Independent-Republicans. The 7th rematch between incumbent Arlan Stangeland and Collin Peterson concluded with the narrowest victory margin to date in Minnesota history for the office (0.06 points).
The DFL netted four seats in the state Senate to increase their margin to 47-20 and netted 18 seats in the House for an 83-51 advantage.
Associate Justice George Scott won a third term to the Supreme Court without opposition.
Elections
Date
Office
Stage
Winners
Details
12/22/1986
State House, District 16A
Special
Bernie Omann (Independent-Republican) won with 2,704 votes (50.41%) and a winning margin of +0.89
Candidate
Gender
Party
Votes
Percent
Bernie Omann
Man
Independent-Republican
2,704
50.41
Carl F. Stich
Man
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
2,656
49.52
Scattering
Write-In
4
0.07
Special election to the fill the vacancy due to the death of Independent-Republican Representative Ben Omann on November 17, 1986. This election was subject to a recount resulting in a gain of 27 votes for Omann and a loss of 21 votes for Stich. The State Canvassing Board certified totals are reflected above.
Omann was a resident of St. Stephen, college student, and son of Ben Omann.
Stich was a farmer and St. Wendell Township Supervisor.
Hubert H. (Skip) Humphrey, III (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) won with 985,569 votes (70.32%) and a winning margin of +41.82
Candidate
Gender
Party
Votes
Percent
Hubert H. (Skip) Humphrey, III
Incumbent
Man
Democratic-Farmer-Labor
985,569
70.32
Lewis Freeman
Man
Independent-Republican
399,483
28.50
Derrick P. Grimmer
Man
Grassroots
16,394
1.17
Scattering
Write-In
118
0.01
Attorney General Humphrey was reelected to a second term and received the largest percentage of the vote in a contested race for the office in state history, eclipsing Republican Edward Young's 67.32 percent in 1904. Humphrey's 41.82-point victory margin was also the largest in a contested race for attorney general since statehood.
Freeman was an Eden Prairie attorney.
Grimmer was a physicist from White Bear Lake, co-founder of the Grassroots Party, Grassroots nominee for U.S. Senate in 1988, and nominee for Vice President in 1992. He was nominated by petition.