Secretary of State Joseph Donovan did not seek a seventh term, ending up third all time behind Republicans Mike Holm (16 terms) and Julius Schmahl (seven).
Daniel Donovan, no relation, was a St. Paul brewery worker, nominee for HD 37 in 1954, 1956, and 1958, nominee for HD 49 in 1962, and candidate for HD 44A in 1968.
Childress, a labor leader from Minneapolis, was the DFL-endorsed candidate and the first black candidate to be endorsed for a statewide office by a major party in Minnesota history.
Mattson, a recent graduate of Harvard University, would later get elected state Auditor (1975-1979) and state Treasurer (1983-1987). Mattson's father, Robert Mattson, Sr., served as Minnesota Attorney General (1964-1967).
Johnson was chairman of Concerned Citizens Committee and a resident of Wabasha. He was a Farmer-Labor candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 1940, a Farmer-Labor nominee for Treasurer in 1942, and a DFL candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 1944.
Noonan was a contractor from Edina and candidate for Secretary of State in 1974.