A spokesman for Gov. Mark Dayton said Friday that the governor is conscious and resting comfortably after lower back surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

Dayton's office announced a day earlier that the DFL governor would be at Mayo on Friday for the procedure. His spokesman, Matt Swenson, said that it was successful.

Dayton suffers from a condition known as spinal stenosis that has caused him back and leg pain and affected his balance.

Friday's surgery was the third time he's had the procedure, all three with the same surgeon.

The two-term governor is not running for re-election this year. He will leave office in early January.

Staff report