In 1994 Marty sought to unseat incumbent Republican Governor Arne Carlson. He was the DFL party's endorsed nominee and won its primary by two percentage points over former state commerce commissioner and future Attorney General Mike Hatch (the other candidates were Richard T. Van Bergen and former Minneapolis Police Chief Tony Bouza.) Marty's self-imposed campaign finance limits, feasible in his small state senate reelection campaigns, severely handicapped his ability to reach as far as his opponent statewide. After spending most of his campaign funds on the primary, he lost to Carlson by a nearly two-to-one margin.