BLOOMINGTON  — Gov. Mark Dayton acknowledges he made a mistake by taking a campaign aide on a state airplane trip and said it won’t happen again.

Dayton said Friday it was a “technical violation” of state law.

On Thursday, the Minnesota legislative auditor looked at the Democratic governor’s use of the state airplane, particularly three trips he took in 2012 that combined political visits and official work. Dayton’s campaign reimbursed the state for the political portion of those trips.

The auditor found the law is unclear on whether such reimbursements are the right approach. But the audit did say Dayton violated the law by allowing a campaign staffer to accompany him on one of the plane trips. Dayton’s campaign paid for the entire cost of her trip.