The 1962 Minnesota gubernatorial election was the closest statewide race in Minnesota history and one of the closest gubernatorial elections in U.S. history. The election was held on November 6, 1962, but the results were not known until March 21, 1963. The vote count after election day had Governor Elmer L. Andersen in the lead by 142 votes. Then-Lieutenant Governor Karl Rolvaag went to court and won the right to a recount. After the recount, it was determined that Rolvaag had defeated Andersen by 91 votes out of over 1.2 million cast. He received 619,842 votes to Andersen's 619,751. The previous closest gubernatorial election was the state's first, in 1857.
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November 6, 1962
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 County results Rolvaag: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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At the time, governors and lieutenant governors were elected on separate ballots. Andersen was a Republican and Rolvaag a DFLer. The 1962 election was also the first four-year term election for Minnesota governor.
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Primary
editCandidates
editNominated
edit- Karl Rolvaag, Lieutenant Governor
Eliminated in Primary
edit- Col. Belmont Tudisco, World War II veteran, painter
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Karl Rolvaag | 271,818 | 92.50% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Belmont Tudisco | 22,042 | 7.50% | |
| Total votes | 293,860 | 100% | ||
Republican Primary
editCandidates
editNominated
edit- Elmer Andersen, Incumbent
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Elmer Andersen | 275,351 | 100% | |
| Total votes | 275,351 | 100% | ||
General Election
editCandidates
edit- Elmer Andersen, Incumbent (Republican)
- Karl Rolvaag, Lieutenant Governor (DFL)
- William Braatz, Carpenter (Industrial Government)
Campaigns
editPolls prior to the election showed Andersen leading over Rolvaag, but only slightly, It was predicted to be a close race.[3]
Disputed Results
editAndersen described what followed election day as 'a seesaw affair,' as candidates traded first place between the various counts and recounts. The 'seesawing returns' were unofficial. Once time came for official results to be released, there was still no agreed-upon winner. A five member committee, made of three Republicans and two DFLers, was assembled in late November. No agreement was reached by the committee. The Minnesota Supreme Court was then asked for the next course of action. The Court ordered for the State Canvassing board to collect official returns, and review all collected returns. The board, after amending faulty vote counts from ten counties, declared Andersen the victory on November 29 by 142 votes.
However, on December 3rd, Rolvaag filed a motion to the District of Minnesota court for a recount. The State Supreme Court once again intervened, appointing three judges to oversee the recount.[3] Andersen's Chief of Staff, Thomas H. Swain, was named as in charge of the recount. Mary Lou Klas was named as a pro-Rolvaag observer for Swain.[4]All 800,000 paper ballots submitted were manually recounted, and verified by a Republican, DFLer, and Nonpartisan observer before they were officially counted. Either of the partisan observers had the right to challenge a ballot if they believed it to have been tampered with. 97,000 ballots were challenged. All challenged ballots were then individually reviewed, with only 3,851 having credible evidence of tampering. Inauguration day passed, and Andersen remained as governor while the counting continued. The legislature came into session and began operating normally.
In February of 1963, the matter was once again brought to the courts, with the three judges appointed to oversee the process conducting a full review of the recount and review process. On March 15, 1963, the final results were announced, with Rolvaag ahead with only 91 votes. On March 21, Rolvaag was officially named as Governor-Elect. On March 25, 1963, Rolvaag took office 139 days after election day.[3] Andersen accepted the results and did not appeal, though he had the option to.[5] The recount procedure would be used as a template for future contentious elections, notably in the 2008 Senate race, decided by only 312 votes.[6]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Karl Rolvaag | 619,842 | 49.71% | +0.63% | |
| Republican | Elmer Andersen (incumbent) | 619,751 | 49.71% | −0.85% | |
| Industrial Government | William Braatz | 7,234 | 0.58% | +0.22% | |
| Majority | 91 | 0.01% | |||
| Turnout | 1,246,827 | ||||
| Democratic (DFL) gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Governor, 1962 Election". Minnesota Historical Election Archive.
- ↑ "Governor, 1962 Election". Minnesota Historical Election Archive.
- 1 2 3 Nathanson, Iric (May 13, 2013). "Gubernatorial Election Recount, 1962". Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS).
- ↑ Gilmore, Susan (January 13, 2005). "Minnesota had an even closer race in '62". The Seattle Times.
- ↑ Nathanson, Iric (November 11, 2008). "Looking back to another protracted Minnesota race: 1962". Minnpost.
- ↑ "In '62, Minnesota set the recount standard". Ohio State University, Star Tribune. November 13, 2008.