Johnson, a Hennepin County commissioner known for often being a lonely conservative voice on that body, was the GOP’s losing candidate against Dayton in 2014. This time around, public polling showed Walz with a healthy lead, too.
But Johnson had already surprised once, handily beating former Gov. Tim Pawlenty in the primary despite being outraised several times over.
Still, Johnson’s upset win was a mixed bag for Republicans aiming to win statewide for the first time since Pawlenty’s 2006 re-election. The Republican Governors Association, a major outside political group that backed Pawlenty, backed away from a $2.3 million advertising blitz that had been planned for summer and fall. It never aired an ad on Johnson’s behalf.
Sarah Roth, 22, of Minnetonka, said she voted for Democrats on Tuesday, drawing President Donald Trump into her decisions.
“I think the past couple of years, ever since President Trump has been in office, it has just been not the country that I am used to or that I thought I would be in,” Roth said. “There are so many crazy things happening in the news every single day, and I’m so sick and tired of hearing people complaining about it. And so I think this is the best way that we can help.”
Walz vowed to continue the liberal path that Dayton began during his two terms. Expanding the state’s low-income health care program, MinnesotaCare, to have a public option was a hallmark of his campaign. But he drew criticism from both sides for his tepid support of a $15 hourly minimum wage, despite campaigning for it earlier in the election cycle.
Johnson accused Walz of overpromising, and deemed his health care plan unworkable for hospitals that are reimbursed by the state at lower rates than private health insurers.
Johnson portrayed his own candidacy as a course correction from Dayton’s administration, including the higher taxes levied on the state’s wealthiest earners and the troubled rollout of a new driver-registration system.
