Governor, 1998 Election
General
| Candidate | Gender | Running mate | Party | Votes | Percent | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jesse Ventura | Man | Mae Schunk (Woman) | Reform | 773,713 | 36.99 | +2.69 |
| Norm Coleman | Man | Gen Olson (Woman) | Republican | 717,350 | 34.29 | |
| Hubert H. (Skip) Humphrey, III | Man | Roger D. Moe (Man) | Democratic-Farmer-Labor | 587,528 | 28.09 | |
| Ken Pentel | Man | Susan Jasper (Woman) | Green | 7,034 | 0.34 | |
| Frank Germann | Man | Michael Strand (Man) | Libertarian | 1,932 | 0.09 | |
| T. Christopher (Chris) Wright | Man | Darrell (D.G.) Paulsen (Man) | Grassroots | 1,727 | 0.08 | |
| Fancy Ray McCloney | Man | Toni ("Mom") McCloney (Woman) | The People's Champion | 919 | 0.04 | |
| Thomas A. Fiske | Man | John Hawkins (Man) | Socialist Workers | 787 | 0.04 |
This election tied the 1974 cycle with the most candidates on a Minnesota gubernatorial ballot with eight. Ventura's 36.99 percent was the lowest support registered by a winning gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota history.
Ventura was a resident of Maple Grove and former professional wrestler, actor, and Mayor of Brooklyn Park (1991-1995); Schunk was an educator from Inver Grove Heights.
Coleman was a Democrat-turned-Republican Mayor of St. Paul; Olson was a former teacher from Mound and sitting state Senator (SD 43, 1983-1993; SD 34, 1993-2003; SD 33, 2003-2013).
Humphrey was an attorney from New Hope, state Senator (SD 44, 1973-1983), sitting state Attorney General (1983-1999), and son of former U.S. Senator and Vice-President Hubert Humphrey; Moe was a state Senator (SD 66, 1971-1973; SD 02, 1973-2003) from Erksine.
Pentel was a former grassroots organizer for Greenpeace from Minneapolis.
Germann was a former civil engineer from West St. Paul; Strand was the Libertarian Lieutenant gubernatorial nominee in 1998.
Wright was a computer technician from Edina, co-founder of the Grassroots Party in 1986, and Grassroots U.S. House nominee for the 5th CD in 1988. Fancy Ray
McCloney was a comedian, pitchman, and media personality from Minneapolis; Toni McCloney was Fancy Ray’s mother.
Fiske was a machinist from St. Paul who was the Socialist Workers U.S. Senate nominee in New Jersey in 1988 and Minnesota in 1996; Hawkins was a perennial candidate and steelworker.
Related Reports
Sources
- Report of the State Canvassing Board, Office of Secretary of State, State of Minnesota, November 17, 1998 (p. 23-28).