1998Flipped from RepublicanFinal results
1998 election for Minnesota Governor
Governor · Minnesota
Jesse Ventura (Ref) won with 37.0% of the vote, defeating Norm Coleman (R) by 2.7 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
Jesse VenturaReform · winner
37.0%773,713
Norm ColemanRepublican
34.3%717,350
Skip HumphreyDemocrat
28.1%587,528
Ken PentelGreen
0.3%7,034
Frank GermannLibertarian
0.1%1,932
Chris WrightGreen
0.1%1,727
Fancy Ray McCloneyOther party
0.0%919
Thomas FiskeSocialist Workers
0.0%787
2,090,990 votes
Source: English WikipediaUpdated Oct 5, 2026, 4:05 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1998
Races before and after
Source: English WikipediaUpdated Oct 5, 2026, 4:05 AM ET
The candidates
Jesse Ventura (REF)Norm Coleman (R)Skip Humphrey (D)
Also on the ballot: Ken Pentel (Green), 0.3%; Frank Germann (Libertarian), 0.1%; Chris Wright (Green), 0.1%; Fancy Ray McCloney (Other party), 0.0%; Thomas Fiske (Socialist Workers), 0.0%