Governor, 1982 Election
General
| Candidate | Gender | Running mate | Party | Votes | Percent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rudy (R.G.) Perpich | Man | Marlene Johnson (Woman) | Democratic-Farmer-Labor | 1,049,104 | 58.76 | +18.89 |
| Wheelock Whitney | Man | Lauris Krenik (Man) | Independent-Republican | 711,796 | 39.86 | |
| Kathy Wheeler | Woman | Carole Lesnick (Woman) | Socialist Workers | 10,332 | 0.58 | |
| Tom McDonald | Man | Earl Dettman (Man) | Honest Government | 7,984 | 0.45 | |
| Franklin Haws | Man | Charles W. Bates (Man) | Libertarian | 6,323 | 0.35 |
Perpich was dentist from Hibbing, former state Senator (SD 63, 1963-1971), Lieutenant Governor (1971-1976), Governor (1976-1979), and DFL gubernatorial nominee in 1978; Johnson worked in advertising and public relations in St. Paul and became the first woman lieutenant governor in Minnesota history.
Whitney was a resident of Independence who worked in the fields of health promotion and chemical dependency, was the GOP U.S. Senate nominee in 1964, and former Mayor of Wayzata (1963-1968); Krenik was a farmer from Madison Lake and Regent of the University of Minnesota.
Wheeler was a laid-off iron miner from Northern Minnesota and Lesnick was a member of the United Paper Workers in Minneapolis. The Wheeler/Lesnick ticket was the first all-woman gubernatorial ticket in Minnesota history. They were nominated by petition.
McDonald was a perennial candidate from Minneapolis who sought the DFL gubernatorial nomination in 1974 and ran under the Honest Government banner in 1978; Dettman was a truck driver and frequent candidate for Minneapolis Mayor. They were nominated by petition.
Haws was a physician from Saint Anthony and Libertarian U.S. House nominee for the 5th CD in 1976; Bates was a resident of Plymouth and systems analyst for General Mills. They were nominated by petition.
Related Reports
Sources
- Minnesota Election Results 1982, Election Division, Secretary of State (p. 29).