The 2008 Minnesota U.S. House of Representatives elections took place on November 4, 2008. All 8 congressional seats that make up the state's delegation were contested. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 111th United States Congress from January 4, 2009 until January 3, 2011.
The 2008 Presidential election, 2008 Senate election (for the seat held by Republican Norm Coleman), and 2008 Minnesota Legislature elections occurred on the same date, as well as many local elections and ballot initiatives.
The 110th congressional delegation from the U.S. state of Minnesota has 3 Republicans and 5 Democratic Farmer Labor Party members (DFLers). Six are men; 2 are women. Three were freshmen in the 110th congress. The veterans range in experience from Jim Oberstar with 32 years of experience and the chairman of the Transportation Committee to John Kline with just four years of experience.
This district extends across southern Minnesota from the border with South Dakota to the border of Wisconsin. DFLer Tim Walz defeated 6-term veteran Republican Gil Gutknecht in 2006 in somewhat of a surprise victory. Walz had no opponent in the race for the DFL nomination for the seat in the September 12, 2006 primary election. He beat incumbent Republican Gil Gutknecht in the general election by a margin of 53% to 47%. The popular Walz is a former teacher and Command Sergeant Major in the National Guard. The district is rated as an R+1 on the CPVI scale. Incumbent Tim Walz was opposed by Brian Davis, a Mayo Clinic physician, who was endorsed by the CD1 Republican Party and Independence Party of Minnesota candidate, Greg Mikkelson. CQ Politics forecast the race as 'Leans Democratic'. Walz won the 2008 race, garnering 62.5% of the vote.