Welcome to Patch's Dakota County hub for all things Election 2012.

This page will offer some historical perspective of recent voting in Dakota County, along with up-to-the-moment election results for races across the county. It will also have links to Patch's local (think city and school board) as well as state and federal (think senate and president) election coverage. 

• Presidential, senate, congressional and constitutional amendment results | Dakota County election results including judicial races | Local coverage: Lakeville | Burnsville | Eagan | Apple Valley/Rosemount | Northfield | Inver Grove Heights | Mendota Heights | Scroll down to see Dakota County election results including judicial races

RESULTS

While house and senate races are incredibly important and dramatic, there are a number of other races in the county, and state, which you will find results for by scrolling down, including:

• County Commissioner seats 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7
• Soil and Water Supervisor seats for regions 1, 2, 4 and 5
• First District Court seats 2, 6, 10, 14, 19, 20, 26 and 29
• Minnesota Supreme Court and Court of Appeals

To find results for the Presidential election, senate race, congressional election and constitutional amendment questions, you can find all the up-to-the-minute results here on Patch by clicking here.

If you're looking for results on those local races around the towns of Dakota County, such as school board, city council, and mayoral elections, you can visit the Patch site of your choice:

• Lakeville |Burnsville | Eagan | Apple Valley/Rosemount |Northfield | Inver Grove Heights | Mendota Heights
  

STATE SENATE

* - Denotes incumbent

All precincts are reporting except for supreme court results.

STATE HOUSE

DAKOTA COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

DAKOTA COUNTY SOIL AND WATER SUPERVISORS

1ST DISTRICT COURT (DAKOTA COUNTY SEATS)

MINNESOTA SUPREME COURT AND COURT OF APPEALS

RECENT HISTORY

All THE WAY BACK TO 2008

Despite a unique mix of rural, suburban, and quasi-urban communities, Dakota County is still home to much of the power that makes up Minnesota's Republican party.

• Scroll down to see election results.

In 2008, Democrats were riding a wave of liberal strength, buoyed by soon-to-be President Barack Obama, but Dakota County voters generally sided more with Republicans on the ballot. Statewide, Obama beat John McCain by 10 points, 54 percent to 44 percent, but in Dakota County, it was much closer, with Obama winning by just six points—52 percent to 46.

In that 2008 election, the DFL was hoping to oust some of Dakota County's more entrenched GOP legislators, including some of the party's biggest leaders in Farmington's Pat Garofalo and Lakeville's Mary Liz Holberg, banking on the massive wave of Democratic support and infusion of young voters to make it happen. In the end, it sort of did—the DFL gained two seats in the house when Rosemount's Phil Sterner beat incumbent GOPer Judy Lindsay, and Eagan's Mike Obermueller beat longtime GOP Rep. Lynn Wardlow. But the gains were tempered when GOP newcomer Tara Mack beat Apple Valley's DFL incumbent Sandra Masin.

At the end of 2008, the DFL controlled seven of Dakota County's 11 legislative seats and four of the six senate seats.

• Scroll down to see election results.

THE 2010 TIDAL WAVE

Nothing could have prepared voters, or the county, for what would happen in 2010. The DFL was holding massive majorities in the legislature—a 87-47 majority in the house, and a 46-21 majority in the senate. Yet a wave was coming, buoyed by a growing Tea Party movement, and continued resentment over the recession gripping the country.

Dakota County voted much more conservative than the state in the senate race, and it foretold the story to come for the DFL seats in the legislature. Despite winning the state by narrow margin, Gov. Mark Dayton lost the gubernatorial race in Dakota County to Tom Emmer by 8 percentage points—47-39.

What did that mean for the legislative races? When the dust finally settled on the 2010 election, the GOP had flipped 25 house seats state-wide and 17 senate seats, giving the Republicans majorities in both bodies for the first time ever.

• Scroll down to see election results.

In Dakota County, the DFL lost five house seats and two senate seats. In Eagan, Republican Ted Daley took Jim Carlson's senate seat, and in Burnsville Dan Hall took John Doll's DFL controlled seat. Rosemount's Kurt Bills beat Phil Sterner for his house seat, Eagan's Diane Anderson took back the house seat she lost to Sandra Masin two years earlier, and Eagan also ousted DFLer Mike Obermueller, replacing him with Lynn Wardlow's son, and GOPer, Doug Wardlow. GOP newcomer John Kriesel took a seat in South Saint Paul that was vacated by a DFLer not running again, and Burnsville's Pam Myhra defeated DFL incumbent Will Morgan for his seat.

In one election, the DFL went from controlling seven of the county's 11 house seats to controlling just two, and from controlling four of the six senate seats, to just two.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS YEAR

On Nov. 6, Minnesota's DFL will be looking to gain six seats to retake control of the house, and four senate seats to regain control of the senate. Currently, the GOP has a 72–62 majority in the house and a 37-30 majority in the senate.

• Scroll down to see election results.

Redistricting has caused some major shifts, but the county still has the same number of house and senate districts.

On the senate side, there are six districts in Dakota County: 51, 52, 54, 56, 57 and 58. Each of those are split into two house districts, but one—54A—is in southern Washington County, leaving the county with 11 seats.

Incumbents are seeking re-election in all but one of the senate seats. In Apple Valley and Rosemount's Senate District 57, incumbent GOPer Chris Gerlach is running for County Commissioner. Meanwhile, on the house side, three races technically feature open seats, but one of those—58A—includes Mary Liz Holberg, who moved to a new district following redistricting. The other two are Brunsville/Lakeville's 56B which is basically a new house district, and Apple Valley/Rosemount's 57B which is held by Kurt Bills who is seeking a U.S. Senate seat and not running for re-election to the Minnesota House.