Historical Information

Results of Special Elections for the Minnesota Legislature, 1849-present

Compiled by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library

In certain circumstances, the governor is required to issue a writ for special elections. See Minnesota Statutes sections 204D.17 to 204D.27. We know of at least two instances when a special election was called, but did not take place. See the writ for special election from 1933 and Rep. P. A. Peterson’s Legislators Past & Present page. See also the writ for a special election in House District 40B that was to be held on January 28, 2025 but was voided by the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Prior to 1960, some of the special election dates cannot be verified; see the notes for details.

This page was compiled by the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library from information in Minnesota legislative manuals and newspaper articles. While efforts have been made to verify this information in more than one source, the library cannot guarantee the accuracy of sources; errors are possible. Please report any errors to the library staff.

Election Date	District	Who Won?	Party	Body	Writ of Special Election	Notes
4/29/2025	06	Heintzeman, Keri	Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won a special election on April 29, 2025 for the seat vacated by the resignation of Sen. Justin Eichorn. She was sworn in on May 6, 2025.
3/11/2025	40B	Gottfried, David	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on March 11, 2025 for the seat that was vacant because on January 17, 2025, the Minnesota Supreme Court voided the special election for House District 40B that was to be held on January 28, 2025. The voided January 28, 2025 special election was called because the district 40B general election was contested. It was determined that the winner in the general election, Curtis Johnson, did not live in the district. He was sworn in on March 17, 2025.
1/28/2025	60	Clark, Doron	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on January 28, 2025 for the seat vacated by the death of Sen. Kari Dziedzic. He was sworn in on February 3, 2025.
11/5/2024	45	Johnson Stewart, Ann M	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won a special election on November 5, 2024 for the seat vacated by the resignation of Sen. Kelly Morrison. She was sworn in on November 25, 2024.
3/19/2024	27B	Lawrence, Bryan	Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on March 19, 2024 for the seat vacated by the resignation of Representative Kurt Daudt. He was sworn in on April 2, 2024.
12/5/2023	52B	Virnig, Bianca Ward	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	She won a special election on December 5, 2023 for the seat vacated by the resignation of Representative Ruth Richardson. She was sworn in on January 12, 2024.
2/4/2020	60A	Jordan, Sydney	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	She won a special election on February 4, 2020 for the seat vacated by the death of Representative Diane Loeffler. She was sworn in on February 11, 2020.
2/4/2020	30A	Novotny, Paul	Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on February 4, 2020 for the seat vacated by the resignation of Representative Nick Zerwas. He was sworn in on February 11, 2020.
3/19/2019	11B	Nelson, Nathan	Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on March 19, 2019 for the seat vacated by Rep. Jason Rarick who had won a special election for a Senate seat. He was sworn in on March 27, 2019.
2/5/2019	11	Rarick, Jason	Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on February 5, 2019 for the seat vacated by the resignation of Senator Tony Lourey. He was sworn in on February 13, 2019.
11/6/2018	13	Howe, Jeff R.	Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on November 6, 2018 for the seat vacated by the resignation of Senator Michelle Fischbach to be sworn in as lieutenant governor. He was sworn in on December 11, 2018.
2/12/2018	54	Bigham, Karla	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	There was a special election held on February 12, 2018 to fill the seat caused by the resignation of Senator Dan Schoen on December 15, 2017. She was sworn in on February 20, 2018.
2/12/2018	23B	Munson, Jeremy	Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	There was a special election held on February 12, 2018 to fill the seat caused by the resignation of Representative Tony Cornish on November 30, 2017. He was sworn in on February 20, 2018.
2/14/2017	32B	Neu Brindley, Anne E	Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	There was a special election held because the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled, on September 8, 2016, that Rep. Bob Barrett was not eligible to be elected from district 32B because he did not meet the constitutional requirement for residency in that district. She was sworn in on February 21, 2017.
2/9/2016	35	Abeler, Jim	Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Branden Petersen. He was sworn in on February 22, 2016.
2/9/2016	50B	Anderson, Chad	Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the House special election held due to the resignation of Ann Lenczewski. He was sworn in on February 17, 2016.
12/8/2015	03A	Ecklund, Rob	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election due to the death of David Dill on August 8, 2015. He was sworn in on December 17, 2015.
11/3/2015	46A	Flanagan, Peggy	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	She won the House special election held due to the resignation of Ryan Winkler. She was sworn in on November 9, 2015.
2/12/2013	19A	Johnson, Clark	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the House special election held due to the resignation of Terry Morrow. He was sworn in on February 19, 2013.
2/12/2013	14A	Theis, Tama	Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	She won the House special election held due to the resignation of Steve Gottwalt. She was sworn in on February 19, 2013.
4/10/2012	20	Koenen, Lyle J.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the death of Gary Kubly. He was sworn in on April 18, 2012.
1/10/2012	61B	Allen, Susan	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	She won the special election for District 61B, which was vacant due to the resignation of Rep. Jeff Hayden. She was sworn in on January 19, 2012.
1/10/2012	59	Dziedzic, Kari	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Larry Pogemiller. She was sworn in on January 20, 2012.
10/18/2011	46	Eaton, Chris A.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the Senate special election held due to the death of Linda Scheid. She was sworn in on October 28, 2011.
10/18/2011	61	Hayden, Jeff	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Linda Berglin. He was sworn in on October 25, 2011.
4/12/2011	66	McGuire, Mary Jo	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Senator Ellen Anderson. She was sworn in on April 18, 2011.
2/15/2011	05B	Melin, Carly	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	She won the House special election held due to the resignation of Tony Sertich. She was sworn in on February 22, 2011.
1/26/2010	26	Parry, Mike	Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Dick Day. He was sworn in on February 4, 2010.
11/4/2008	16	Fobbe, Lisa A.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	Her margin of victory over Alison Krueger was only 85 votes so an automatic recount occurred. After the recount she was declared the winner by 85 votes. She won the special election called after Betsy Wergin resigned. She was sworn in on December 5, 2008.
11/4/2008	63	Kelash, Kenneth S.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Dan Larson. He was sworn in on December 5, 2008.
1/3/2008	25	Dahle, Kevin L.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Tom Neuville. He was sworn in on January 22, 2008.
8/7/2007	28B	Drazkowski, Steve	Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the House special election held due to the resignation of Steve Sviggum. He was sworn in on August 16, 2007.
12/27/2005	15	Clark, Tarryl L.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Dave Kleis. She was sworn in on January 6, 2006.
12/27/2005	15B	Haws, Larry	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the special election held due to the resignation of Joe Opatz. He was sworn in on January 19, 2006.
11/22/2005	43	Bonoff, Terri E.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of David Gaither. She was sworn in on December 7, 2005.
11/22/2005	19	Koch, Amy T.	Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Mark Ourada. She was sworn in on January 5, 2006.
7/13/2004	37	Gerlach, Chris	Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of David Knutson. He took office on July 21, 2004.
12/30/2003	18A	Newman, Scott J.	Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the special election held due to the resignation of Tony Kielkucki. He was sworn in sometime between December 30, 2003 and February 2, 2004; the House Journal does not specify the date.
2/25/2003	32B	Zellers, Kurt	Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the special election held on February 25, 2003 due to the appointment of Rich Stanek as the commissioner of Public Safety. He was sworn in on March 3, 2003.
2/11/2003	52B	Otto, Rebecca	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	She won the special election for the seat vacated by the resignation of Mark Holsten. She was sworn in on February 17, 2003.
2/3/2003	40A	Powell, Duke	Republican	House		He won the special election due to the resignation of Dan McElroy to become the Commissioner of Finance after he won the 2002 general election but before he took office. Duke Powell was sworn in on February 10, 2003.
3/4/2002	47A	Jordan, John	Republican	House		He won the special election held due to the death of Darlene Luther. He was sworn in on March 8, 2002.
1/29/2002	67	Moua, Mee	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Randy Kelly. She was sworn in on February 4, 2002.
1/29/2002	07	Prettner Solon, Yvonne	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the seat held by her husband, Sam Solon, in a January special election after his death in December 2001. She was sworn in on February 4, 2002.
11/6/2001	12B	Blaine, Greg	Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the special election held due to the resignation of Steve Wenzel. He was sworn in on November 15, 2001.
12/14/1999	04	Kinkel, Anthony G.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of David Ten Eyck. He was sworn in on December 23, 1999.
11/2/1999	18	Ring, Twyla L.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the Senate special election held due to the death of Janet Johnson. She was sworn in on December 23, 1999.
11/2/1999	07A	Swapinski, Dale	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the special election held due to the death of Willard Munger. He was sworn in November 12, 1999 according to the Duluth News Tribune.
4/13/1999	32	Kierlin, Bob	Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Steve Morse. He was sworn in on April 21, 1999.
3/30/1999	26	Ziegler, Donald N.	Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Tracy Beckman. He was sworn in on April 6, 1999.
1/27/1998	51B	Vandeveer, Raymond Joseph	Republican	House		He won the special election held due to the resignation of Doug Swenson. He was sworn in on February 5, 1998.
1/20/1998	23A	Clark, James T.	Republican	House		He won the seat that was vacant due to the death of Barb Vickerman. He was sworn in on January 29, 1998.
1/6/1998	17A	Erickson, Sondra	Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	She won the special election held by the resignation of LeRoy Koppendrayer. She was sworn in on January 20, 1998.
11/4/1997	11B	Otremba, Mary Ellen	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	She won the seat held by her husband, Ken Otremba, before his death in September 1997. She was sworn in on the third day of the third special session on November 13, 1997.
2/6/1996	14	Fischbach, Michelle L.	Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Joe Bertram. She was sworn in on Feburary 12, 1996.
8/1/1995	26A	Gunther, Bob	Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on August 1, 1995 vacated by the resignation of Gene Hugoson. He was sworn in on August 18, 1995.
7/11/1995	52A	Carlson, Skip	Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the seat vacated by Wayne Simoneau. He was sworn in on July 21, 1995.
4/4/1995	49B	Warkentin, Eldon H.	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the seat vacated by Joel Jacobs. He was sworn in on April 10, 1995.
3/7/1995	33B	Stanek, Richard	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the seat vacated by Warren Limmer. He was sworn in on March 13, 1995.
2/2/1995	33	Limmer, Warren E.	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Pat McGowan. He was sworn in on February 13, 1995.
12/29/1994	16	Kleis, Dave	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of JoAnne Benson. He was sworn in on January 9, 1995.
12/29/1994	47	Kramer, Don	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Bill Luther. He was sworn in on January 9, 1995.
11/8/1994	19	Ourada, Mark	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Betty Adkins. He was sworn in on January 3, 1995.
11/8/1994	31	Scheevel, Kenric J.	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Duane Benson. He was sworn in on December 8, 1994.
2/8/1994	15A	Van Engen, Tom	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the special election for the seat vacated by Alan Welle. He was sworn in on February 21, 1994.
1/11/1994	40B	Knight, Kevin	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the special election on January 11, 1994 for the seat vacated by the resignation of Kathleen Blatz. He was sworn in on January 24, 1994.
7/13/1993	01B	Finseth, Tim	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on July 13, 1993 for the seat vacated by the resignation of Wally Sparby. He was sworn in on July 22, 1993.
1/12/1993	44B	Rhodes, Jim	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the seat vacated by Gloria Segal. He was sworn in on January 15, 1993 according to the Star Tribune.
1/4/1992	42	Terwilliger, Roy W.	Independent Republican	Senate		He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Don Storm. He was sworn in on January 9, 1992.
12/17/1991	47A	Krambeer, Richard	Independent Republican	House		He won the seat vacated by Linda Scheid. He was sworn in January 2, 1992, according to Session Weekly.
2/12/1991	32B	Davids, Gregory M.	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He finished out Elton Redalen's term. He was sworn in on February 18, 1991.
2/5/1991	50B	Heir, Phil	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the seat vacated by Joe Quinn who won in the general election but did not take office. Phil Heir was sworn in on February 7, 1991.
2/10/1990	61	Flynn, Carol	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Donna Peterson. She was sworn in on February 15, 1990.
2/3/1990	24	Piepho, Mark J.	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Glen Taylor. He was sworn in on February 12, 1990.
11/7/1989	63B	Hausman, Alice	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	She won the special election held due to the resignation of Ann Wynia. She was sworn in on November 22, 1989.
2/4/1989	52A	Runbeck, Linda	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	She won the seat vacated by Gordon Voss. She was sworn in on February 9, 1989.
12/20/1988	48	McGowan, Patrick D.	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Tad Jude. He was sworn in on January 3, 1989.
11/8/1988	37	Pariseau, Patricia	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Darril Wegscheid. She was sworn in on January 3, 1989.
11/3/1987	65A	Dawkins, Andrew J.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	He was elected to finish the term of Fred Norton. He was sworn in November 12, 1987.
11/3/1987	04	Decker, Robert	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Gerald Willet. He was sworn in on November 16, 1987.
11/3/1987	30B	DeRaad, Dale L.	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He was elected to finish the term of Jerry Schoenfeld. He was sworn in on November 12, 1987.
12/22/1986	16A	Omann, Jr., Bernard P.	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	Initially his opponent, Carl Stich, was declared the winner by 6 votes. After an automatic recount was held, Bernard P. Omann, Jr. was determined to be the winner by 48 votes. He won his father's, Ben P. Omann, seat in the special election called after his father died in November 1986. He was sworn in on the first day of session.
2/5/1985	08	Gustafson, James	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of James Ulland. He was sworn in on February 11, 1985.
11/8/1983	08B	Boo, Benjamin	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the seat vacated by Tom Berkelman. He was sworn in on November 17, 1983 but the next session did not convene until March 6, 1984.
7/15/1981	32B	Frerichs, Donald L.	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the seat vacated by Don Friedrich. According to the Rochester Post-Bulletin, he was sworn in on Monday, July 27, 1981.
5/12/1981	20	Kamrath, Randy P.	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of James Nichols. He was sworn in on May 15, 1981.
2/22/1980	16	Omann, Sr., Bernard P.	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the death of Ed Schrom. He was sworn in on February 28, 1980.
1/17/1980	60B	Peterson, Donna C.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	She won the seat vacated by Stanley Enebo. According to the Duluth News Tribune, she was sworn in on the first day of session in 1980.
1/8/1980	66	Barrette, Emery G.	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of John Chenoweth. He was sworn in on January 16, 1980.
11/6/1979	55	Stokowski, Anne K.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the seat of her deceased husband, Eugene E. Stokowski. She was sworn in on November 12, 1979.
6/19/1979	67A	Rodriguez, Sr., Frank J.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	House	Writ of Special Election	Frank J. Rodriguez, Sr. won the special election after the seat was declared vacant. He replaced Robert L. Pavlak who was subject to a contested election. According to the Star Tribune, he was sworn in on June 26, 1979.
6/19/1979	41	Stern, Irving M.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the death of Robert Lewis. He was sworn in on July 9, 1979.
12/19/1978	13	Rued, David Evan	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election following the resignation of Senator Win Borden. He was sworn in on December 29, 1978.
12/10/1977	35A	Redalen, Elton R.	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the seat vacated by Neil Haugerud. He was sworn in on December 19, 1977.
12/3/1977	49	Knaak, Delores J.	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of John Milton. She was sworn in on December 9, 1977.
9/27/1977	22B	Onnen, Tony D.	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the seat vacated by Harold Dahl. He was sworn in on October 11, 1977.
3/15/1977	21B	Den Ouden, Gaylin L.R.	Independent Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the seat vacated by A. O. Setzepfandt. He was sworn in on March 18, 1977.
2/5/1977	21	Setzepfandt, A. O.H.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held to replace Alec Olson who resigned to become Minnesota Lieutenant Governor. He was sworn in on February 15, 1977.
2/1/1975	33	Brataas, Nancy	Independent Republican	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the Senate seat due to the resignation of Harold Krieger. She was sworn in on February 10, 1975.
12/23/1974	12A	Nelsen, Bruce G.	Republican	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the seat vacated by the death of Melvin Miller. He was sworn in on the first day of session in 1975.
12/14/1974	36	Schmitz, Robert J.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Jim Lord. He was sworn in on January 7, 1975.
11/5/1974	47	Merriam, Eugene R.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Stan Thorup. He was sworn in on January 7, 1975.
11/5/1974	64	Stumpf, Jr., Peter P.	Democratic-Farmer-Labor	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Ed Novak. He was sworn in on January 7, 1975.
11/6/1973	61A	Knoll, Franklin J.	Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the seat vacated by Gary Flakne. According to The Minneapolis Star, he was sworn in on November 14, 1973.
11/6/1973	50B	Kostohryz, Sr., Richard J.	Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the seat vacated by John Boland. According to The Minneapolis Star, he was sworn in on November 14, 1973.
5/4/1971	02B	Lemke, Richard R.	Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the seat vacated by the death of Representative Charlie Miller. He was sworn in on May 7, 1971.
5/9/1969	23	Olson, Alec Gehard	Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the special election held due to the death of Robert Johnson. According to the West Central Tribune and the Senate Journal, he was sworn in on May 14, 1969.
4/8/1969	66A	Christianson, Donna Jean	Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus	House	Writ of Special Election	She won the seat held by her husband, Marvin E. Christianson, Sr., before his death on March 8, 1969.
3/25/1969	15	Renneke, Earl W.	Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the special election held due to the death of Harold Popp. He was sworn in on April 7, 1969.
3/11/1969	63	Bischoff, Bernard J.	Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus	House	Writ of Special Election	He was involved in a contested election with Jack Fena after the 1968 election. He was charged with campaign violations related to false claims in his ads. He was seated and took the oath of office on the first day of session. On February 7, 1969 the Minnesota House of Representatives determined that he was not legally elected. He was unseated by a 85-49 vote. The seat was declared vacant and a special election was held. He won the special election. He was sworn in on March 20, 1969.
5/10/1966	56	Stangeland, Arlan Ingehart	Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus	House	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on May 10, 1966 for the seat vacated by the death of Representative Reuben N. Nelson. According to The Albert Lea Tribune, he was sworn in on May 18, 1966.
5/4/1965	22	Jensen, Vernon K.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the special election held due to the death of Fay Child. He was sworn in on May 14, 1965.
3/27/1965	30	Wingard, John P.	Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus	House	Writ of Special Election	His opponent, Linn Slattengren, won the 1964 general election but was found guilty of violating the Minnesota Corrupt Practices Act, so he was not sworn in. The seat was declared vacant and a special election was held. John P. Wingard won the special election but his win was contested by Linn Slattengren. The House investigated and determined that neither candidate had violated the law. John P. Wingard was sworn in on April 20, 1965.
11/3/1964	61	Higgins, Raymond J.	Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on November 3, 1964 for the seat vacated by the death of Senator Gordon Butler on August 1, 1964. He was sworn in on January 5, 1965.
11/3/1964	27	Hughes, Keith F.	Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on November 3, 1964 for the seat vacated by the death of Senator Raymond Bares on April 27, 1964. He was sworn in on January 5, 1965.
11/3/1964	59	La Brosse, Francis E.	Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on November 3, 1964 for the seat vacated by the death of Senator Homer Carr on February 19, 1964. He was sworn in on January 5, 1965.
11/3/1964	60	Wanvick, Arne C.	Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on November 3, 1964 for the seat vacated by the resignation of Representative Richard Ferrario on May 13, 1964. He was sworn in on January 5, 1965.
2/26/1957	52	Renner, Sr., Robert G.	Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus	House		Seth R. Phillips and George E. Ericson contested the 1956 election for this seat. Neither one was seated on the first day of the 1957 Session. After an investigation by the House, the seat was declared vacant and a special election was held. Robert Renner won the special election on February 26, 1957. He was sworn in on February 28, 1957.
12/16/1952	12	Lloyd, Bryan W.	Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus	House	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on December 16, 1952 for the seat vacated by the death of Rep. Trigg Knutson days after he won in the general election. The 1953 Legislative Manual mistakenly indicates this special election was part of the general election. He was sworn in on January 6, 1953.
11/4/1952	03	Dunlap, Robert Rankin	Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He was elected to office in a special election to replace the late James A. Carley. He was sworn in on the first day of session in 1953.
3/3/1949	53	Anderson, Verner F.	Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus	House	Writ of Special Election	He was elected to office in a special election held to replace the late Frank B. Johnson, who died on February 5, 1949. He was sworn in on March 8, 1949.
2/8/1949	42	Andersen, Elmer Lee	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the special election to replace Charles Noah Orr who died on January 10, 1949. He was sworn in on February 10, 1949.
11/2/1948	01	Johnson, John A.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He was elected to office in a special election on November 2, 1948 to replace the late Henry Larson. He was sworn in on the first day of session, January 4, 1949.
11/2/1948	47	Lofvegren, Clifford	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He was elected to office in a special election on November 2, 1948 to replace the late Senator Claude Lynn Cole. He was sworn in on the first day of session, January 4, 1949.
3/14/1947	28	Tomczyk, Edward J.	Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus	House	Writ of Special Election	He won the seat held by Rep. John McNulty before his death on February 10, 1947. He was sworn in on March 19, 1947. His margin of victory over Len Biernat was only 49 votes so Biernat requested a recount. After the recount Tomczyk was declared the winner.
12/28/1944	07	Carey, David M.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the special election that was held due to the death of Daniel D. Murphy on December 3, 1944. He was sworn in on the first day of session in 1945.
12/27/1944	50	Aune, Roy B.	Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus	House		He won the special election that was held due to the death of Rep. Walter Wellbrock. Rep. Wellbrock won the seat during the regular election but died on November 24, 1944 before he was sworn in. Rep. Aune was sworn in on the first day of session in 1945.
11/7/1944	51	Anderson, Ernest P.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election held due to the resignation of Dick Gardner. He was sworn in on the first day of session in 1945.
11/7/1944	29	Duemke, Sr., Emmett L.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won the Senate special election that was held due to the death of Sen. Burton L. Kingsley. He was sworn in on the first day of session in 1945.
11/7/1944	36	Miller, Archie H.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He was required to run in a special election to complete the final two years of his four-year Senate term after he served as lieutenant governor from 5/6/1943 to 1/1/1945 because he resigned from the Senate on 5/10/1943. He was sworn in on the first day of session in 1945.
1/6/1943	07	Lund, Edward O.	Nonpartisan Election	House	Writ of Special Election	He was elected in a special election on January 6 to fill the seat that was vacant after Mitchell Perrizo Jr., who was reelected in the 1942 election, withdrew after winning the election. He was sworn in on January 13, 1943.
11/5/1940	60	Blatnik, Jr., John Anton	Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus	Senate		He was elected in a special election on November 5, 1940 that was held due to the death of Sen. Richard Kelly. He was sworn in on January 7, 1941.
11/5/1940	33	Harrison, Harold	Nonpartisan Election	Senate		He was elected in a special election on November 5, 1940 that was held due to the death of Sen. William B. Anderson. He was sworn in on January 7, 1941.
11/5/1940	53	Rosenmeier, Gordon	Nonpartisan Election-Conservative Caucus	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He was elected in a special election on November 5, 1940 that was held due to the death of Sen. Frederick J. Miller. He was sworn in on January 7, 1941.
11/5/1940	32	Young, Henry G.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He was elected in a special election on November 5, 1940 that was held due to the death of Sen. A. O. Devold. He was sworn in on January 7, 1941.
1/17/1939	55	Newton, Fred	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	A special election was held on January 17, 1939 for Senator John J. White's seat. Senator White died after being reelected on November 8, 1938 but before he was sworn in. Senator Newton was sworn in on January 23, 1939.
11/3/1936	57	Dahle, Clarence A.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election to fill a seat after the death of Senator Charles Adams. He was sworn in on January 5, 1937.
11/3/1936	15	Swenson, Oscar A.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election after the death of Senator Claude H. MacKenzie. He was sworn in on December 17, 1936.
10/21/1935	39	Faimon, Albert A.	Nonpartisan Election	House	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election to fill a seat after the death of Albert J. Samec, Jr. He was sworn in on the first day of special session, December 2, 1935.
10/21/1935	21	Hahn, Arthur A.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election to fill a seat after the death of Patrick W. Morrison. He was sworn in on the first day of special session, December 2, 1935.
10/21/1935	22	Nelsen, Ancher	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election to fill a seat after the death of Harlow H. Bonniwell, Sr. He was sworn in on the first day of special session, December 2, 1935.
3/5/1935	43	Neumeier, Karl G.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	The special election was held due to the death of George H. Sullivan. He was sworn in on March 15, 1935.
12/20/1932	29	Teigan, Henry George	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	The special election was held due to the death of Lewis Duemke. He was sworn in on the first day of session in 1933.
11/8/1932	53	Ebner, Franklin E.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election to fill a seat after the death of Christian Rosenmeier. He was sworn in on the first day of session, January 3, 1933.
11/8/1932	07	Murphy, Daniel D.	Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election to fill a seat after the death of C. L. Todd. He was sworn in on the first day of session, January 3, 1933.
1/17/1929	09	Saggau, Henry August	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	The special election was held due to the death of Sen. Frank Arah (F.A.) Day. He was sworn in on January 21, 1929.
11/6/1928	31	McKnight, Sumner T.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	The Senate seat became open upon the death of William F. Brooks on March 19, 1928. He was sworn in on the first day of session in 1929.
11/6/1928	02	Rollins, Frederick H.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He ran in a special election after Sen. Henry Steen died on July 27, 1928. He was sworn in on January 8, 1929.
11/6/1928	27	Spindler, Henry	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election to fill a seat after the death of James E. Madigan. He was sworn in on the first day of session, January 8, 1929.
2/7/1927	65	Naplin, Laura Emelia	Nonpartisan Election-Liberal Caucus	Senate	Writ of Special Election	She won the seat of her deceased husband, Oscar A. Naplin. She was sworn in on February 14, 1927.
1/24/1927	40	Olson, Conrad	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He was elected in a special election held due to the death of James D. Denegre. He was sworn in on January 25, 1927.
11/4/1924	41	Memmer, Peter J.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election on November 4, 1924 for the seat vacated by the death of Senator Martin J. Conroy on October 11, 1924. He was sworn in on January 6, 1925.
2/20/1919	43	Sullivan, George Henry	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	In the 1918 election, W.W. Wilcox's margin of victory over George Henry Sullivan was 43 votes. A recount occurred and W.W. Wilcox was found to have won by 35 votes. Wilcox was also charged with violations of the fair campaign practices act. After much debate, on January 31, 1919 the Senators declared the seat vacant. A special election was held, which Sullivan won. He was sworn in on February 24, 1919.
2/18/1919	34	Coleman, Arch	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	Arch Coleman (District 34) won the special election for a Senate seat in District 34 on February 18, 1919, due to the death of Senator Carleton Wallace on January 13, 1919. He was sworn in on February 20, 1919.
2/18/1919	17	Cosgrove, Carson Nesbit	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	Carson Cosgrove (District 17) won the special election for a Senate seat on February 18, 1919, due to the death of Senator Harry F. Weis on January 8, 1919. He was sworn in on February 21, 1919.
11/7/1916	16	Rask, Samuel A.	Nonpartisan Election	Senate	Writ of Special Election	He won a special election due to the death of Eugene Belnap Collester on September 4, 1915. He was sworn in on the first day of session in 1917.
11/3/1908	02	French, George D.	Republican	Senate		He ran in a special election held due to the death of Patrick Fitzpatrick. He was sworn in on the first day of session in 1909.
11/8/1904	48	Frater, John Taylor	Republican	Senate		He was elected in a special election held after the death of Allen Ferris. According to The Saint Paul Globe, he was sworn in on the first day of session in 1905.
11/3/1896	06	Dunn, Howard H.	Republican	Senate		He won a special election on November 3, 1896 for this Minnesota Senate seat. The seat was considered vacant when Frank Arah Day was elected by the Minnesota Senate to assume the duties of Lieutenant Governor on January 25, 1895. When the Legislature reconvened on January 5, 1897 Sen. Day and Sen. Dunn both claimed the seat. Sen. Day is listed in the Journal of the Senate as holding the contested seat until a determination was made on January 23, 1897 that Sen. Dunn had been duly elected and was entitled to the seat. He took the oath of office on January 26, 1897.
11/3/1896	53	Whitney, George A.	Republican	Senate		George Whitney was elected in a special election in District 53. He finished the Senate term for William Allen who resigned his seat. He was sworn in on the first day of session in 1897.
11/8/1892	13	Little, John T.	Republican	Senate		He was elected in a special election that was held on the same date as the general elections of 1892. He succeeded Jeremiah Grinnell who died while in office. He took the oath of office on January 3, 1893.
11/6/1888	44	Holmes, Elon G.	Republican	Senate		He was elected in a special election to fill the spot held by Solomon Gilman Comstock who ran for the United States House of Representatives in the November 1888 election. It appears that Senator Comstock resigned before the end of his Senate term. Sen. Holmes was sworn in on the first day of session in 1889.
11/4/1884	42	Wells, Henry H.	Not Available	Senate		He was elected in a special election due to the death of C. F. Washburn. He was sworn in on January 6, 1885.
11/6/1883	22	Hall, Osee Matson	Not Available	Senate		He was elected in a special election due to the resignation of Martin Spencer Chandler. He was sworn in on January 6, 1885.
11/6/1883	13	Severance, Erasmus C.	Not Available	Senate		He was elected in a special election due to the death of James McLaughlin. He was sworn in on January 6, 1885.
11/6/1883	03	Wilkins, William T.	Not Available	Senate		He won a special election on November 6, 1883 for the seat vacated by William L. Hollister. He was sworn in January 6, 1885.
10/7/1881	10	Frahm, Juergen	Republican	House		He won a special election to fill the seat vacated by John V. Daniels. He was sworn in on the first day of the Extra Session in October 1881.
10/7/1881	11	Hitchcock, George	Not Available	House		He won a special election to fill the seat vacated by Orlando B. Kidder. News from Friday, October 14, indicates that the election was on a Friday. He was sworn in on October 11, 1881.
10/7/1881	05	Johnson, Allan M.	Not Available	Senate		He was elected in a special election to fill the spot held by A. C. Wedge who resigned because he was appointed to another office. He was sworn in on the first day of the Extra Session on October 11, 1881.
10/7/1881	15	Milligan, Francis H.	Democratic	House		He won a special election for the seat vacated by H. H. B. McMaster. His official election date is uncertain, but news indicates the election was on a Friday. News reported that the secretary of state received the result of the election on October 10. He was sword in on the first day of the Extra Session in October of 1881.
11/2/1875	25	Gilfillan, John Bachop	Republican	Senate		He won a special election to fill the unexpired term of John Sargent Pillsbury. News sources indicate that the special election was the same date as the general election for the Senate even numbered districts. He took the oath of office on January 4, 1876.
11/3/1868	11	Sheardown, Samuel B.	Republican	Senate		He was elected in a special election due to the death of Benjamin Franklin. The special election was the same date as the 1868 general election. He was sworn in on the first day of session in 1869.
9/6/1862	03	Moore, William S.	Not Available	Senate	Writ of Special Election	The special election to fill the vacancy for Sylvanus B. Lowry's term was held September 6, 1862. He was sworn in on September 10, 1862.
10/8/1861	12	Daniels, John Van Ness	Republican	Senate		He served the second half of Stiles P. Jones' term. He was elected on the same date as the general election in 1861 and was sworn in on the first day of session in 1862.
10/8/1861	18	Duffy, Thomas J.	Democratic	Senate		He served the second half of Thomas J. Galbraith's term. His election date is same as the 1861 general election date. He was sworn in on the first day of session on January 7, 1862.
10/8/1861	14	Miller, Luke	Republican	Senate		He served the second half of Henry W. Holley's term. His election date appears to be the same as the regular 1861 election date, but that hasn't been verified.
10/8/1861	10	Richards, Linus	Republican	Senate		He served the second half of John H. Pell's term. According to the Wabashaw Semi-Weekly County Herald on October 2, 1861, the special election was held on the regular 1861 election date.
10/8/1861	16	Webber, Alfred B.	Republican	Senate		He served the second half of George Watson's term. His election date appears to be the same as the regular 1861 election date, but that hasn't been verified.
6/14/1858	23	Demmon, Jared Smith	Not Available	House		His election date is uncertain. The date listed is the date he took the oath of office. He won the special election to replace L. C. Walker who resigned.
4/27/1857	06	Jewett, Charles	Not Available	Territorial House		His election date is uncertain. The date listed is the date he took the oath of office. He won the special election to replace Morgan L. Noble who resigned.
1/7/1857	11	Bassett, Joel B.	Republican	Territorial Council		His official election date is uncertain. He was elected to finish the term of D.M. Hanson who died while in office. The date listed is the first day of the 1857 territorial session.
1/7/1857	10	Humphrey, Philander P.	Not Available	Territorial Council		His election date is uncertain. He was elected to finish out Charles E. Flandrau's term. The date listed is the first day of the 1857 territorial session.
1/7/1857	03	Wales, William W.	Not Available	Territorial Council		His election date is uncertain. He won a special election to finish out John Rollins' term. The date listed is the first day of the 1857 territorial session.
9/8/1849	06	Morrison, Allan	Democratic	Territorial House		In the 1849 election, "Councilor William R. Sturges, of the Sixth District, was elected by his constitutents to both the Council and the House, and his election was so certified and proclaimed by the Governor. He resigned the office of Representative and at a special election Allan Morrison was chosen in his stead." (Holcombe. Minnesota in Three Centuries, Volume 2, p. 438)

Historical Information

Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, 321 State Capitol, Saint Paul, MN 55155