The nation’s eyes have been trained on Minnesota for much of the past year; The political assassination of House Speaker Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their dog Gilbert; the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School that killed two children and injured 28 others; a major state services fraud investigation; and of course, the ICE occupation of Minnesota via Operation Metro Surge.
So, it’s no wonder that when it comes to the 2026 midterms, the North Star state is again a center of attention.
There are many key races that are top of mind for Minnesotans this year. Read on for a breakdown of each race, including who’s leaving, who’s running, and what the polls can tell us so far.
Minnesota’s primary election is August 11, while the general election is on November 3. Read on here for details on how to register to vote in Minnesota.
Governor
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz is leaving the governor’s mansion after two terms, having taken office in 2019. He’s retiring after a busy past two years, including running as the Democratic nominee for Vice President alongside Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. In a January interview, Walz told MS Now he will “never run for an elected office again.”
The most notable candidates running to replace Walz include Democratic US Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Republican Minnesota House Speaker Rep. Lisa Demuth, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, and Kendall Qualls, the founder and president of the nonprofit TakeCharge.
Klobuchar has held her office for 19 years, and is the most notable Democrat to have launched a gubernatorial campaign—not even a month after Walz announced his resignation. Demuth took over the House this session after the killing of Hortman, her colleague and co-speaker. Lindell is a die-hard Donald Trump supporter and vocal election-denier, while Qualls won the gubernatorial straw poll.
The latest polling in the race shows Klobuchar leading each of her opponents by at least 14 percentage points.
Read more about the governor’s race here.
In total, there are 15 candidates for governor as of this writing:
- Democrats Rick DeVoe, Thomas Evenstad, Paul Ference, Amy Klobuchar, Kobey Layne, Christopher Seymore, and Po Vang
- Republicans Peggy Bennett, Lisa Demuth, Raul Estrada, Patrick Knight, John Krhin, Mike Lindell, Phillip Parish, and Kendall Qualls
US Senator
Democratic Senator Tina Smith is retiring after two terms, saying she wants to prioritize her family.
The race’s candidates with the most name recognition include Lt. Gov. Flanagan, US Rep. Craig, former NBA player White, and Tafoya, a longtime sports broadcaster.
Flanagan says her priorities revolve around healthcare for all, holding ICE accountable, clean energy initiatives, and eliminating tariffs, which are particularly hurting the state’s farmers. Craig is fighting against the opioid crisis and is well known for her Cooper Davis and Devin Norring Act, a bill targeting drug trafficking on social media platforms. White was a former first-round NBA draft pick and played for the Sacramento Kings, while Tafoya worked as a sideline reporter for NBC Sunday Night Football.
The latest polling shows Flanagan is leading Craig, and other polls show Flanagan and Craig are both beating Republican candidates by at least six points each. Flanagan and Craig are the top two contenders.
A special note: If Klobuchar wins the governor’s seat, she will also be responsible for appointing someone to temporarily fill her seat while waiting for a special election.
There are 14 candidates who are running for Smith’s senate seat right now:
- Unaffiliated candidates Marisa Simonetti and Edward Tambornino
- Democrats Angie Craig, Peggy Flanagan, and Billy Nord
- Republicans Christopher Brooks, Alycia Gruenhagen, Raymond Petersen, Mike Ruoho, Adam Schwarze, Michele Tafoya, Tom Weiler, Royce White, and Mark York
Attorney General
Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison is running for reelection after two terms. Following the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme, Ellison is campaigning on a promise to combat healthcare fraud with the Medical Assistance Protection Act, which would add 18 new staff members to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit run by his office. In his time in office, Ellison also successfully prosecuted Derek Chauvin, who murdered George Floyd in 2020.
His only opponent is Republican trial lawyer Ron Schutz. He left his executive chairman position at Robins Kaplan law firm to run for the office.
1st Congressional District
Republican Rep. Brad Finstad is running for reelection after three terms. He has faced criticism for not showing up to town halls since he entered office in 2022. Finstad says he champions the armed services, reduced government spending, and fewer federal regulations for farmers.
His only opponents are Independent Oliver Morlan and Democrat Jake Johnson. Johnson’s focus is on local, small-town investments, affordable living, and ending congressional stock trading.
The latest polling shows Finstad leading Johnson by 10 points.
2nd Congressional District:
With Democratic Rep. Craig vacating her seat after four terms to run for the US Senate, seven candidates are running in the district:
- Democrats Abdisallam Abdulle, Kaela Berg, Matt Klein, Matt Little, and Hugh McTavish
- Republicans Eric Pratt and Jeremy Westby
Many of the candidates in this race are current or former members of the state legislature. This includes GOP Sen. Pratt, DFL Sen. Klein, DFL Rep. Berg, and former DFL Sen. Little.
5th Congressional District
Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar is running for reelection after four terms. She’s part of The Squad, four Democratic women of color who were elected to the US House in 2018. Omar is pushing for ICE abolition and human-focused foreign policies. She’s vehemently against President Donald Trump’s war on Iran, as “someone who has survived the horrors of war.” Omar left Somalia when she was eight years old due to the civil war.
There are seven congressional candidates in the district right now:
- Independent DeVelle Jackson
- Democrats Julie Le, Omar, and Latonya Reeves
- Republicans John Nagel, Angela Marie Walls-Windhauser, and Dalia al-Aqidi
6th Congressional District
US House Majority Whip and Republican Rep. Tom Emmer is running for reelection after six terms. He championed the Working Families Tax Cuts bill—otherwise known as the No Tax on Overtime bill—which made it into the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Emmer has repeatedly used dehumanizing and flagrant language online and in interviews, calling for the “deportation and denaturalization of every Somali engaged in fraud in Minnesota” on Facebook, and telling Fox News that “these Somali gangs are incredibly dangerous.”
There are seven declared candidates in this district as of this writing:
- Unaffiliated candidate Austin Winkelman
- Independent Kelly Doss
- Democrats Anson Amberson, Doug Chapin, and Jeremy Wicklund
- Republicans Emmer and Michael Foley
8th Congressional District
Republican Rep. Pete Stauber is running for reelection after four terms. He believes in cutting Minnesotans’ taxes, eliminating Environmental Protection Agency rules, and boosting domestic mining.
Stauber brought forward a controversial bill this year that became law, allowing copper-ore sulfide mining of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. You can read more about the legislation and its impacts here. (link to web post)
There are seven candidates in this race:
- Democrats Emanuel Anastos, Luke Gulbranson, John-Paul McBride, Wendell Smith, and Trina Swanson
- Republicans Stauber and Anthony Hamilton
Gulbranson recently entered the race, and has been popularized for his background as a star on the reality TV show Summer House.
Stay Informed
An easy way to stay updated on the latest candidates who join or drop out of the state’s race is to visit Ballotpedia’s Minnesota page. Be sure to bookmark and follow Courier Minnesota on the social platform of your choice and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
