 He was elected attorney general in 1970 and assumed office on January 4, 1971.Spannaus was reelected to the position twice, in 1974 and 1978, serving from 1971 to 1983.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.