MN-Gov (D/R): We are nearly to a quarter of the vote reporting, and we may have our headline of the night. Despite the fact that most of the vote now is coming from outside of the Twin Cities, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty is simply not catching 2014 nominee Jeff Johnson. With 23% reporting, Johnson still holds a 54-43 lead over Pawlenty.
The margins have also barely moved on the Democratic side, as Rep. Tim Walz still leads state legislator Erin Murphy by a 41-36 margin. Attorney General Lori Swanson, whose campaign has been waylaid by some late controversies, is making up a little ground, but still languishes well behind at 22 percent of the vote.