PolitiFinder

2012 Minnesota U.S. House District 3 Election

Minnesota · 2 candidates · See every 2012 U.S. House race

Who won the 2012 Minnesota U.S. House District 3 Election?

Erik Paulsen won the 2012 Minnesota U.S. House District 3 Election. Erik Paulsen received 222,335 popular votes (58.1%). The main challenger was Brian Barnes (41.79%).

See the full head-to-head between Paulsen and Barnes

Paulsen +16.3 pts · won by 62,398 votes
Erik PaulsenRepublicanWINNER58.1%
222,335 votes
Brian BarnesDemocratic41.79%
159,937 votes
Popular-vote totals for U.S. House elections come from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab (1976–2024).

Data last verified July 28, 2026.