At the 1980 Democratic National Convention He won two votes for the presidential nomination In 1982, he ran for Governor of Minnesota as the DFL-endorsed candidate but lost the primary election to former DFL Governor Rudy Perpich, who went on to win the general election. Spannaus joined the Minneapolis-based law firm of Dorsey & Whitney.
At the 1980 Democratic National Convention He secured two votes for the presidential nomination In 1982, he ran for Governor of Minnesota as the DFL-endorsed candidate but lost the primary election to former DFL Governor Rudy Perpich, who went on to win the general election. Spannaus joined the Minneapolis-based law firm of Dorsey & Whitney.