# Mark Dayton *American politician; 40th governor of Minnesota (2011–2019).* Mark Brandt Dayton (born January 26, 1947) is a politician of the [[Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party]] (DFL), which is affiliated with the national [[Democratic Party (United States)]]. He was the 40th [[Governor of Minnesota]] from 2011 to 2019. Before that he represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate from 2001 to 2007 and was Minnesota [[state auditor]] from 1991 to 1995.[^1] Dayton won the governorship in 2010 over Republican [[Tom Emmer]] and a second term in 2014 over Republican Jeff Johnson. He did not run for a third term in 2018.[^1] In 2013 he signed the law creating MNsure, the state's health-insurance exchange, and the law legalizing same-sex marriage.[^2][^3] Wikipedia also lists construction of U.S. Bank Stadium among his principal initiatives.[^1] Throughout his governorship, [[Minn. Stat. § 43A.191]] remained in force. Subdivision 3(c) of that statute requires a state agency to explain why it hired a non-affirmative candidate. The project's time table records the statute's 32nd year in 2013 under Dayton and notes no challenge to it from any party.[^4] On January 14, 2026, the United States sued Minnesota under [[Title VII]]. Its complaint cites § 43A.191 eight times, and the case is pending.[^5] The [[United States Department of Justice]] titled its release on the suit with the phrase "Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime."[^6] ## Early life, education, and career Dayton was born in [[Minneapolis]] on January 26, 1947. He is the oldest of the four children of Bruce Bliss Dayton and Gwendolen May (Brandt) Dayton.[^7] His great-grandfather, George Dayton, founded the Dayton's department stores. His father was chairman and chief executive of Dayton Hudson Corporation, the predecessor of Target Corporation.[^7] He grew up in Long Lake and finished secondary school at the Blake School in Minneapolis. He earned a psychology B.A. at Yale University in 1969.[^7] From 1969 to 1971 he taught on Manhattan's Lower East Side. From 1971 to 1975 he was chief financial officer of a Boston social service agency.[^7] ## Early political career and U.S. Senate In April 1970 Dayton took part in a Minnesota antiwar protest against Honeywell, where police maced him. His father sat on Honeywell's board of directors.[^8] He was a legislative aide to Senator [[Walter Mondale]] in 1975–1976 and an aide to Governor [[Rudy Perpich]] in 1977–1978. Perpich then put him at the head of the Department of Economic Development, and later of the Department of Energy and Economic Development.[^8] In the 1982 DFL Senate primary, Dayton defeated former senator Eugene McCarthy with more than 69 percent of the vote. He ran against Reaganomics, pledging "to close tax loopholes for the rich and the corporations—and if you think that includes the Daytons, you're right." The Republican incumbent, David Durenberger, won the general election 52 to 46 percent.[^9] After that defeat Dayton went back to the Perpich administration. He was elected state auditor in 1990 and held the office until 1995.[^8] In the 1998 DFL gubernatorial primary he finished fourth with 18 percent. The nominee, Hubert Humphrey III, lost the general election to Reform Party candidate [[Jesse Ventura]].[^8] In 2000 Dayton won the DFL Senate nomination with 41 percent in a six-candidate field. He then unseated Republican Rod Grams, 49 to 43 percent, spending $12 million of his own money.[^9] In the Senate he voted against the Iraq War authorization. He was the first senator to introduce a bill creating a cabinet-level United States Department of Peace. He also used his salary to pay for bus trips taking seniors to Canada for cheaper prescription drugs.[^9] On February 9, 2005, he said he would not run again. DFL member [[Amy Klobuchar]] succeeded him.[^9] ## Governor of Minnesota Dayton entered the governor's race on January 16, 2009. He went straight to the primary rather than seeking the party endorsement at caucus and convention, and he paid for the campaign himself. His running mate was State Senator [[Yvonne Prettner Solon]] of Duluth.[^10] In the August 10, 2010 primary he defeated the DFL-endorsed Margaret Anderson Kelliher by 1,500 votes, 41.33 to 39.75 percent.[^10] When polls closed on November 2, 2010, Dayton led Emmer by just under 9,000 votes. That margin triggered an automatic recount, and the hand recount left the lead intact. Emmer conceded on December 8, 2010.[^10] The project's time table, drawing on Wikipedia's article on the election, puts the margin at 8,770 votes (0.4 percent). It describes Dayton as the first DFL governor since Perpich left office in 1991.[^11] Dayton was inaugurated on January 3, 2011.[^12] From July 1 to July 19, 2011, state government shut down for 20 days while Dayton and the Republican-controlled legislature were deadlocked over the budget.[^13] On March 20, 2013, Dayton signed the bill establishing MNsure, Minnesota's exchange under the Affordable Care Act. Coverage began January 1, 2014.[^2] On May 14, 2013, he signed the same-sex marriage law, which had passed the House 75–59 and the Senate 37–30. It took effect August 1, 2013, and Minnesota became the 12th state to allow such marriages.[^3] In 2017 the Minnesota Supreme Court decided *Ninetieth Minnesota State Senate v. Dayton*, No. A17-1142, a case brought by the state Senate against the governor.[^14] Prettner Solon retired before the 2014 election, and Dayton named his former chief of staff, [[Tina Smith]], as running mate. The DFL endorsed him for a second term.[^15] He defeated Jeff Johnson 50.1 to 44.5 percent. He was the first winning Minnesota gubernatorial candidate since 1994 to receive a majority of the vote.[^10] The *[[Star Tribune]]* covered that first re-election bid under the headline *Gov. Mark Dayton: Standing by his record*.[^16] The *Star Tribune* reported the following on July 7, 2016. Protests began at the Governor's Residence in St. Paul, and about 2,000 demonstrators camped on its lawn. Police made 102 arrests during a blockade of Interstate 94. The paper quoted Dayton as saying: "Would this have happened if those passengers, the driver and the passengers, were white? I don't think it would have."[^17] The paper separately reported him holding firm on a water quality law.[^18] A project history row dated August 17, 2012, records that Dayton repudiated "Ramsey's extermination line." The same row adds: "The name does not change."[^19] ## Political positions As of 2010, four groups rated Dayton at 100 percent: the AFL–CIO, the NAACP, NARAL, and Americans for Democratic Action. The League of Conservation Voters rated him at 79 percent. In 2005 the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council rated him at 9 percent.[^20] Until 2013 he opposed legalizing medical cannabis, the same position held by his Republican predecessor, [[Tim Pawlenty]]. Instead of signing a legalization bill, he proposed a $2 million study with the Mayo Clinic.[^20] ## Personal life Dayton has married three times. In 1978 he married Alida Ferry Rockefeller, sister of former senator Jay Rockefeller. They had two sons and divorced in 1986.[^21] On his own initiative he has disclosed that he is a recovering alcoholic and has been treated for mild depression.[^21] In December 2012 he had vertebral fusion surgery at the Mayo Clinic for spinal stenosis. He fainted at a January 2016 campaign event in [[Woodbury]]. About a year later he collapsed during his State of the State address to the [[Minnesota Legislature]]. The next day he disclosed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer a week earlier.[^21] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - Mark Dayton (DFL), governor of Minnesota, 2011–2019.[^1] - The project's time table lists the five governors under whom § 43A.191 had remained in force by December 2015:[^4] - Perpich (DFL)[^11] - Carlson - Ventura (Reform)[^8] - Pawlenty (Republican)[^20] - Dayton (DFL) - Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified *United States v. State of Minnesota* as a case of general public importance.[^6] ### What - **The statute.** Minn. Stat. § 43A.191, subd. 3(c), requires an agency to explain the reason for hiring a non-affirmative candidate.[^5][^4] - **The project's claim under test.** The project's master, *[[How Minnesota Got Here]]*, states this claim for nine administrations and three parties from 1971 to 2026: each administration added components to the administrative architecture, and none is documented removing a load-bearing exemptive one. The master presents the claim as falsifiable, row by row, against the Revisor's history lines. It names the Pawlenty, Dayton, and Walz "construction-and-maintenance years" as part of the span to be audited.[^22] - **The complaint.** *[[United States v. State of Minnesota (0:26-cv-00273)]]* (D. Minn. filed Jan. 14, 2026) is brought under Title VII of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]]. The complaint cites § 43A.191 eight times. The case is pending.[^5] - **The release title and the catalogue finding.** DOJ release No. 26-21 is titled *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*.[^6] The project's catalogue of U.S.-government "regime" usages finds Minnesota the only U.S. state so described. The catalogue's comparison set includes the [[Iraq Liberation Act]] of 1998, which states a policy of supporting efforts to remove "the regime headed by Saddam Hussein."[^23] - **Ames.** In *[[Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services]]*, 605 U.S. 303 (2025), the Supreme Court held that Title VII's disparate-treatment provision "draws no distinctions between majority-group plaintiffs and minority-group plaintiffs."[^24] ### When - January 3, 2011: inauguration.[^12] - July 1–19, 2011: government shutdown.[^13] - August 17, 2012: recorded repudiation of "Ramsey's extermination line."[^19] - March 20 and May 14, 2013: MNsure and same-sex marriage signings.[^2][^3] - 2013 and December 2015: § 43A.191 in its 32nd and 34th years, per the time table.[^4] - July 7, 2016: Governor's Residence protests.[^17] - January 14, 2026: federal complaint filed.[^5] ### Where - Governor's Residence, St. Paul (2016 protests).[^17] - U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota (No. 0:26-cv-00273).[^5] ### How much - $12 million: self-financing of the 2000 Senate campaign.[^9] - $2 million: proposed Mayo Clinic medical-marijuana study.[^20] ### How many - 8: citations of § 43A.191 in the federal complaint.[^5] - About 2,000 demonstrators and 102 arrests: July 2016 protests.[^17] - 1,500 votes: 2010 primary margin.[^10] - 8,770 votes: 2010 general-election margin, per the time table.[^11] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *Mark Dayton*, lead section (rev. 1376287008, retrieved 2026-10-25) — offices held, party, elections of 2010 and 2014, decision not to run in 2018, principal initiatives. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Dayton [^2]: Wikipedia, *MNsure* (cited by project time table row TL-0813) — MNsure legislation signed March 20, 2013; coverage from January 1, 2014. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MNsure [^3]: Wikipedia, *Same-sex marriage in Minnesota* (cited by time table row TL-0814) — signing May 14, 2013; House 75–59, Senate 37–30; 12th state; effective August 1, 2013. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Minnesota [^4]: Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, *43A.191* — statute text and history line; cited by project time table rows TL-0821 (2013, 32nd year, no challenge from any party) and TL-0838 (December 2015, 34th year, five governors). https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/43A.191 [^5]: United States, *Complaint*, United States v. State of Minnesota, No. 0:26-cv-00273 (D. Minn. filed Jan. 14, 2026) — Title VII action; cites Minn. Stat. § 43A.191 eight times, including subd. 3(c). https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1423361/dl [^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*, release No. 26-21 (Jan. 14, 2026) — release title; Attorney General's certification of general public importance. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime [^7]: Wikipedia, *Mark Dayton*, "Early life, education, and career" (retrieved 2026-10-25) — birth, parents, family business, schooling, early employment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Dayton [^8]: Wikipedia, *Mark Dayton*, "Early political career and U.S. Senate" (retrieved 2026-10-25) — 1970 Honeywell protest, aide posts, commissionerships, state auditor, 1998 primary. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Dayton [^9]: Wikipedia, *Mark Dayton*, "U.S. Senate" (retrieved 2026-10-25) — 1982 and 2000 elections, $12 million self-financing, Senate record, 2005 announcement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Dayton [^10]: Wikipedia, *Mark Dayton*, "Governor of Minnesota" (retrieved 2026-10-25) — 2009 announcement, 2010 primary and recount, 2014 running mate and result. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Dayton [^11]: Wikipedia, *2010 Minnesota gubernatorial election* (cited by time table row TL-0793) — margin of 8,770 votes (0.4%); first DFL governor since Perpich left office in 1991. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Minnesota_gubernatorial_election [^12]: Office of the Governor of Minnesota, *Governor* (cited by time table row TL-0798) — inauguration January 3, 2011. https://mn.gov/governor/ [^13]: Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, *2011 Session Laws* (cited by time table row TL-0801) — 20-day shutdown, July 1–19, 2011, over the budget. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2011/1/ [^14]: Minnesota Supreme Court, *Ninetieth Minnesota State Senate v. Dayton*, No. A17-1142 (Minn. 2017) — caption, docket, court and year. https://law.justia.com/cases/minnesota/supreme-court/2017/a17-1142.html [^15]: Post-Bulletin, *DFLers endorse Dayton, Franken for 2nd terms* (2014) — DFL endorsement for a second term. https://www.postbulletin.com/newsmd/dflers-endorse-dayton-franken-for-2nd-terms [^16]: Star Tribune, *Gov. Mark Dayton: Standing by his record* (2014) — coverage of the first re-election bid. https://startribune.com/gov-mark-dayton-standing-by-his-record-in-first-re-election-bid/279677002 [^17]: Star Tribune, *Dozens arrested outside governor's residence in St. Paul* (July 2016; time table row TL-0852) — about 2,000 demonstrators, 102 arrests, Dayton's quoted remark. https://www.startribune.com/dozens-arrested-outside-governor-s-residence-in-st-paul/388261202 [^18]: Star Tribune, *Gov. Dayton stands firm on water quality law* — headline report. https://www.startribune.com/gov-dayton-stands-firm-on-water-quality-law/411993526/ [^19]: How Minnesota Got Here project, *Companion to Ramsey County Complete History* (2026-09-02), history row HE-0214 (Aug. 17, 2012) — Dayton's repudiation; "The name does not change." [project record] [^20]: Wikipedia, *Mark Dayton*, "Political positions" (retrieved 2026-10-25) — interest-group ratings; medical-marijuana position and $2 million study proposal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Dayton [^21]: Wikipedia, *Mark Dayton*, "Personal life" (retrieved 2026-10-25) — marriages, disclosures, 2012 surgery, 2016–2017 health events. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Dayton [^22]: How Minnesota Got Here (merged master, footnoted), *§3 — The Modern Architecture, 1971–2026* and note [41] — the project's falsifiable tally across nine administrations and three parties. [project record] [^23]: U.S. Congress, *Iraq Liberation Act of 1998*, Pub. L. 105-338 — "the regime headed by Saddam Hussein"; with the project's catalogue finding (How Minnesota Got Here, note 40). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-105publ338/pdf/PLAW-105publ338.pdf [^24]: Supreme Court of the United States, *Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services*, 605 U.S. 303 (2025) — Title VII disparate-treatment holding. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-1039_c0n2.pdf