Dayton wins, maybe; Koering and Chaudhary out

In Minnesota’s tightest primary race — to see which DFLer will vie for the Governor’s Mansion in November — Margaret Anderson Kelliher gained an early lead Tuesday night as results from the state’s urban areas poured in, but as rural areas reported, northern Minnesota precincts chipped away at her lead until Mark Dayton pulled ahead. Matt Entenza, who staked his campaign on targeting urban communities, withdrew from the running early in the evening. Not long after midnight, the Associated Press declared Dayton the winner, but in a speech to supporters gathered at Jax Cafe, Kelliher said there were more ballots to be counted.

By 1 a.m., Dayton held a 547 vote advantage, according to tallies by the Minnesota Secretary of State. While most media venues lauded Dayton’s victory, it wasn’t clear that the margin between Dayton and Kelliher would be quickly resolved, or whether it would trigger an automatic recount. Again, Minnesotans went to sleep without knowing who won an election.

Here’s what happened in other key races:

State Senate District 67
Former St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington dominated the crowded East St. Paul race, earning 30 percent of the vote in a nine-way election.

State Senate District 12
State Sen. Paul Koering lost the nomination to former state Rep. Paul Gazelka, who earned 56 percent of the vote. Koering, who is openly gay, didn’t initially seek the Republican endorsement and was criticized after it was revealed that he dined with a gay porn star in Brainerd earlier this year. Gazelka will face DFler Taylor Stevenson in September.

Incumbent state Sen. Satveer Chaudhary only earned a little less than 30 percent of the primary vote, losing the nomination to former state Rep. Barbara Goodwin, who was also awarded the DFL endorsement after it was stripped from Chaudhary. The loss came on the heels of a controversy over a provision that would have changed fishing restrictions on a lake that he owned a cabin on, for which he was admonished by the state Senate. He’s also run into tax troubles.