Minnesota Election Results 2018: Democrats Have A Good Night

MINNESOTA — It may not be a full on "blue wave," but Democrats had a widely successful night in Minnesota Tuesday. Not only did the DFL maintain control of the governor's mansion and both of the state's U.S. Senate seats, but two Republican incumbents in the U.S. House were unseated.

In a stunning result, west metro Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen is projected to lose his seat in the U.S. House to Democrat challenger Dean Phillips. Paulsen has represented Minnesota's Third District since 2008.

A Democrat hasn't represented the Third District since the 1960s.

6 Minnesota Election Stories You May Have Missed Last Night

Rep. Jason Lewis is expected to be the second Republican incumbent in the U.S. House to be defeated in Minnesota Tuesday night. After losing to him in 2016, Angie Craig is projected to defeat Lewis for the Second District seat.

Democrat Keith Ellison is expected to be the next attorney general of Minnesota.

Sen. Tina Smith is projected to win her race over Republican challenger Karin Housley. A win for Smith means she keeps her Senate seat and will finish out Al Franken's original term, which expires in 2021.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar is projected to win a third term over her Republican opponent, Jim Newberger.

Democrat Rep. Collin Peterson is expected to retain his seat in Minnesota's Seventh District.

As of Wednesday morning, the race for Minnesota's First District between Republican Jim Hagedorn and Democrat Dan Feehan was still too close to call.

Republican Rep. Tom Emmer is projected to easily win reelection over Democrat Ian Todd in the Sixth District.

In a pickup for Republicans, Pete Stauber is projected to win Minnesota's Eighth district.

Democrats are projected to retake control of the Minnesota House. The Minnesota Senate is expected to remain in Republican control.

In Minneapolis, Ilhan Omar is the projected winner in Minnesota's Fifth District. Omar will become the first Somali-American elected to the U.S. House.

GRAND FORKS, MN — While voters in the metro were met with rain at the polls, residents in the northland will have to brave snow and possible ice on their way to vote.

Between 1 to 4 inches of snow fell in various parts of northern Minnesota.

Check out this scene in Grand Forks, courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Transportation:

The Twin Cities metro does have chance of seeing snow showers tonight, according to the National Weather Service, but they won't begin until after the polls close.

Sgt. Jesse Grabow ‏of the Minnesota State Patrol reminds motorists to keep their lights on while driving through the snow Tuesday.

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MINNESOTA — Minnesotans have officially broken the state's previous early voter turnout record. As of 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, 614,895 absentee and mail ballots had been cast in the midterm elections.

In the 2014 midterm elections, only 235, 407 absentee and mail ballots were cast.

In 2016, 650,799 absentee and mail ballots were cast. Presidential elections typically see much higher turnout than midterm elections.

Since 2014, Minnesota voters have increasingly used the option to either vote early from home or vote early in-person. Voting for this year's election began on Sept. 21.

ANOKA COUNTY, MN — Voter Terence Stevens told Patch Tuesday morning that he saw what he believed was an invalid practice at the polls. According to Stevens, Anoka County Precinct 4 had an electronic poll book that was malfunctioning.

An election judge subsequently asked voters to supply identification, even if they were already registered, according to Stevens.

In Minnesota, voters are only required to supply identification when they are registering to vote. A spokesperson for the Minnesota Secretary of State Office confirmed that if voters are already registered, they are not required to bring ID to the polls.

Anoka County elections manager Cindy Reichert told Patch that she spoke to the head judge in the precinct and he said that no IDs were requested from pre-registered voters.

Reichert said many voters “self-present” their ID to polling place judges. Election judges are trained to respond by letting those people know an ID is only required for voters registering on election day or updating an existing registration, according to Reichert.

This story started as a tip from ProPublica's Electionland project, which monitors voting problems around the country. If you had trouble voting, or if you saw something you want to tell us about, here’s how.

MINNEAPOLIS — Even before polls open Tuesday, more than 535,000 Minnesotans will have already voted. Early voting this year began Sept. 21 in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and as of Monday morning, at least 539,806 absentee ballots had been accepted.

The rate of absentee ballot requests this year increased 129 percent over 2014, which was the last statewide non-presidential election.

“Early voter participation in Minnesota is at record levels,’” Secretary of State Steve Simon said in a statement Monday.

“With less than 36 hours remaining in the 2018 election, Minnesotans are on-pace to hold our #1 title for voting participation.”

While a record-number of people have voted early this election season, most voters will still choose to visit the polls Tuesday. That can mean long lines and long wait times, so be sure to plan ahead.

A poll worker in Saint Paul told Patch Tuesday they had been busy with an early rush of voters in the morning.

Polls in Minnesota will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

If you do encounter long wait times, remember that as long as you're in line by 8 p.m., you can vote (even if you do not vote until after 8 p.m.).

Minnesota Election Day Weather

You may have to get through rain and snow showers on your way to the polls Tuesday. Election Day will feature plenty of precipitation in the Twin Cities.

Minnesota Weather: Election Day 2018 Forecast

Haven't registered to vote yet? Don't worry. Minnesota residents eligible to vote can register on Election Day at their polling location. You will need to show proof of residence before you vote.

If your voter registration is current and active, you do not need to bring an I.D. to the polls.

Where do I vote? You can enter your address into Minnesota's Polling Place Finder to find out where you vote

Here are the candidates, races, and referendums Patch will be covering Tuesday:

• Senate: Tina Smith vs. Karin Housley
• Senate: Amy Klobuchar vs. Jim Newberger
• U.S. House, Third District: Erik Paulsen vs. Dean Phillips
• U.S. House, Second District: Jason Lewis vs. Angie Craig
• Minnesota governor: Tim Walz vs. Jeff Johnson
• Northfield's Cannon River Civic Center Referendum

Be sure to stick with Patch throughout the day and into the evening. Subscribe to Patch alerts for the latest election results.

It’s not a mystery why voter turnout is so high this year. As if the dozens of state and local elections weren’t enough, Minnesota is a key battleground state for the United States House.

It’s also the only state in the nation featuring not one, but two races for U.S. Senate, thanks to Al Franken’s resignation back in January.

The importance of Minnesota wasn’t lost on President Donald Trump, who made two trips to the state this year.

Trump is one of the biggest reasons voters are motivated this year, even if his name won’t be on the ballot Tuesday.

“I wasn’t really involved in politics before 2016,” voter Laurie Wolfe told Patch in an interview.

Wolfe has lived in Maple Grove for 13 years. She voted for longtime U.S. House incumbent Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen up until 2016.

“It seemed as though we had an incumbent congressman who was moderate,” Wolfe told Patch. “I never bothered to look at his voting record.”

Paulsen has voted in line with Trump’s position 97.8 percent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight. That’s a red flag for Wolfe, who now says Paulsen’s image as a moderate Republican is not in line with the way he votes in Congress.

There are signs anti-Trump sentiment could swing Paulsen’s Democratic opponent, Dean Phillips into office. The Cook Political Report says the race is leaning Democratic.

Regardless of the outcome, the district and Minnesota overall could see record-breaking voter turnout Tuesday. Wolfe says she’s never seen so many people excited about an election.

“There’s yard signs everywhere in Maple Grove, for both sides.”

Follow our coverage of the third district race here.

Special Senate Election: Sen. Tina Smith vs. Karin Hously

There weren’t supposed to be two Senate races in Minnesota this year, but Al Franken’s resignation — brought on by sexual misconduct allegations — triggered a special election on Nov. 6.

Democrats were fortunate that a member of their party got to chose Franken’s replacement. After Franken resigned, Gov. Mark Dayton was tasked with appointing someone to fill his vacancy.

Dayton chose his lieutenant governor, Tina Smith.

Smith, a former executive of Planned Parenthood, is running as a progressive who supports gun control, MinnesotaCare, and abortion rights.

Smith is facing Republican challenger Karin Housley, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump and his administration. Housley spoke at both Trump rallies held in Minnesota this year.

Though polls show Housley trailing Smith, she is optimistic about the race.

“We’ve got the momentum in this race and it’s showing no signs of slowing down,” Housley told Patch Friday.

Follow our coverage of Minnesota's special Senate race here.

Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar seeks third term

In Minnesota's other Senate race, Democratic incumbent Sen. Amy Klobuchar appears to be heading for a landslide victory over her challenger, GOP state Rep. Jim Newberger.

Follow our coverage of that race here.

Minnesota Governor: Democrat Tim Walz vs. Republican Jeff Johnson

Tim Walz has represented Minnesota's First Congressional District — which covers much of rural, southern Minnesota — since 2007. However, Walz, one of the few remaining rural Democrats in Congress, made the decision to leave Congress to run in the state’s open race for governor this year.

Walz is facing off against Republican Jeff Johnson, who has served as a Hennepin County commissioner.

Both candidates hope to replace Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton, who is leaving office after two terms.

Follow our coverage of Minnesota's race for governor here.

Minnesota 2nd District Race: Republican Rep. Jason Lewis vs. Democrat Angie Craig

It’s a competitive rematch in the south metro.

If the Democratic Party is going to retake control of the U.S. House Tuesday, they’ll likely need to pick up a seat in Minnesota’s 2nd District.

Progressive Democrat Angie Craig is looking to defeat Trump-backed Rep. Jason Lewis Tuesday, who beat her in 2016.

Follow our coverage of the 2nd District race here.

Minnesota Ballot Referendums

On top of the state and federal races, voters will face several ballot referendums on Election Day.

In Minneapolis, voters will decide if the "seven-acre rule" should live on.

The city's "seven-acre rule" means restaurants not within 7-acres of commercially zoned property can only serve beer and wine, no hard alcohol.

Minneapolis voters will also decide on two referendum questions proposed by the Minneapolis Board of Education. The referendums ask whether to increase operating revenue for the Minneapolis school district by a combined $30 million.

Northfield Bond Referendum

In Northfield, voters will be asked to decide on a proposed $41 million bond referendum. According to Northfield Public Schools, the money would provide space and enhanced security measures.

Northfield residents would face an average increase of $27 per year, or $2.25 per month.

Cannon River Civic Center Referendum

Northfield voters will also decide whether to approve a sales tax increase to finance a 78,000- square foot multi-purpose, year round community civic center, known as the Cannon River Civic Center.

Follow our coverage of the referendum here.

Crucial votes in the suburbs

Several races for U.S. House in the Twin Cities metro area could come down to a tiny margin of voters in the suburbs. With the midterms today, it's worth taking a look at the political landscape of the metro.

Read on: Most Liberal, And Most Conservative Twin Cities Suburbs: List

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Photo: Minnesota Democratic Congressional-elect Ilhan Omar speaks at an election night results party on November 6, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Omar won the race for Minnesota's 5th congressional district seat against Republican candidate Jennifer Zielinski to become one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)