Minnesota Attorney General Primary

4114 of 4121 precincts (99%)

Democrat

Lori Swanson, 124,924   42%

Steve Kelley, 111,774    37% 

Bill Luther, 62,553         21%

Republican  

Jeff Johnson, 85,772        58%

Sharon Anderson, 62,089 42%

No surprise in the Republican results – presumptive Republican
attorney general nominee Jeff
Johnson became the official nominee last night after handily dispatching
non-lawyer Sharon Anderson in the Republican primary.  What was a surprise
to some, is the result of the Democrat AG primary. Many folks expected Steve
Kelley, a former DFL gubernatorial candidate, or Bill Luther, a former U.S.
Congressman to secure the nomination.  But
it was Swanson.

During
a 57-day sprint toward the attorney general's primary election, Swanson
campaigned as the candidate most likely to maintain Hatch's hard-edged
commitment to policing big business, especially the health care industry.

She
benefited from her role as Hatch's chief litigator and her ability to speak to
voters with first-hand knowledge of the cases Hatch pursued. And she benefited
from being the only woman in a contest with two men.

Joe
Kenney, a mathematics graduate student at the University of Minnesota, said
Tuesday he knew little about any of the three attorney general candidates. But
he said he voted for Swanson — whom he called Swenson — in part
because of her gender.

In a low budget affair,
as the General Election is sure to be, it’s going to be critical that
every dollar be spent on messaging so the voters actually know what the
differences are between the candidates.