2026 Minnesota gubernatorial election
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The 2026 Minnesota gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Minnesota. Incumbent Democratic (DFL) governor Tim Walz initially ran for re-election to a third term but ended his re-election campaign in January 2026. Primary elections were held on August 11, 2026.[1]
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November 3, 2026
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U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar is the Democratic-Farmer-Labor nominee, facing Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth.
Either major party candidate would be the first female governor of Minnesota.[2]
Democratic–Farmer–Labor primary
After Tim Walz announced he was withdrawing from the race, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar launched a campaign for the governor's office on January 29, 2026.[3] Six other Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) candidates filed, none of whom have previously held elected offices in the state. Community organizer Kobey Layne challenged Klobuchar for the DFL's endorsement on May 30, 2026, but Klobuchar was endorsed in the first ballot alongside her running mate Ben Schierer.[4]
Candidates
Nominee
- Amy Klobuchar, U.S. senator (2007–present)[5]
- Running mate: Ben Schierer, former mayor of Fergus Falls (2017–2025)[6]
Eliminated in primary
- Tom Evenstad, public safety specialist[7][8]
- Running mate: Jason Haarsager[9]
- Bill Gates Jr., former pastor[10][11] (no relation to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates)
- Running mate: Leah Harris[9]
- Kobey Layne, community organizer[12][13][9]
- Po Vang[15][8]
- Running mate: Mark Frascone[9]
- Ole "Viking" Savior, perennial candidate[9]
- Running mate: Ashley "Skol" Johnson[9]
- Mohammad Wazwaz[9][16]
Not on ballot
Withdrawn
Declined
- Angie Craig, U.S. representative from MN-02 (2019–present) (running for U.S. Senate, endorsed Klobuchar)[23]
- Keith Ellison, attorney general of Minnesota (2019–present) (running for re-election)[24]
- Peggy Flanagan, Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota (2019–present) (running for U.S. Senate, endorsed Klobuchar)[25]
- Dean Phillips, former U.S. representative from MN-03 (2019–2025) and candidate for president in 2024[26]
- Steve Simon, secretary of state of Minnesota (2015–present) (running for re-election)[20][27]
- Tina Smith, U.S. senator (2018–present)[28]
Endorsements
Kobey Layne
- Organizations
Amy Klobuchar
- Executive branch officials
- Pete Buttigieg, former secretary of transportation (2021–2025)[30]
- Labor unions
- AFL-CIO[31]
- Education Minnesota[32]
- SEIU Minnesota State Council[33]
- Teamsters Joint Council 32[34]
- United Steelworkers District 11[35]
- Organizations
- Elect Democratic Women[36]
- EMILY's List[37]
- End Citizens United[38]
- Giffords (previously endorsed Walz)[39]
- Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund[40]
- Political parties
Tim Walz (withdrawn)
- Labor unions
- Service Employees International Union Minnesota State Council[42]
- Organizations
- Democratic Governors Association[43]
- Planned Parenthood North Central States[44]
- VoteVets[45]
Giffords(later endorsed Klobuchar)[39]
Fundraising
Italics indicate a withdrawn candidate
| Campaign finance reports as of May 31, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Paul Ference (DFL)[a] | $6,530 | $3,543 | $2,986 |
| Bill Gates, Jr. (DFL) | $884 | $884 | $0 |
| Amy Klobuchar (DFL) | $7,045,318 | $3,185,636 | $3,859,683 |
| Kobey Layne (DFL) | $4,618 | $3,043 | $1,574 |
| Po Vang (DFL) | $749 | $749 | $0 |
| Christopher Seymore (DFL) | $50 | $0 | $50 |
| Tim Walz (DFL) | $169,091 | $922,312 | $3,138,504 |
| Source: Minnesota Campaign Finance Board[46] | |||
Caucus vote
On February 3, 2026, Minnesota DFLers held their party caucus.[47] Amy Klobuchar won the party's straw poll for governor with approximately 72% of the vote.[48]
Results
Klobuchar
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- 90–100%
Uncommitted
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
Abstained
- No votes
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Amy Klobuchar | 22,484 | 71.71% | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Christopher Seymore | 397 | 1.27% | |
| Write-in | 1,097 | 3.50% | ||
| None | Uncommitted | 6,722 | 21.44% | |
| None | Abstained | 655 | 2.09% | |
| Total votes | 31,355 | 100.00% | ||
Results
Klobuchar
- 80–90%
- >90%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (DFL) | Amy Klobuchar | 615,041 | 89.7 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Kobey Layne | 39,528 | 5.8 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Mohammad Wazwaz | 9,633 | 1.4 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Po Vang | 8,834 | 1.3 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Ole "Viking" Savior | 5,491 | 0.8 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Tom Evenstad | 3,843 | 0.6 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Bill Gates Jr. | 3,380 | 0.5 | |
| Total votes | 685,750 | 100.0 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Lisa Demuth, speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives (2025–present) from district 13A (2019–present)[49]
- Running mate: Ryan Wilson, attorney and nominee for State Auditor in 2022[50]
Eliminated in primary
- Loner Blue, perennial candidate[9][51]
- Raul Estrada, construction worker and organizer with the American Indian Coalition[52]
- Running mate: Joe Kincaid[9]
- John Krhin, pastor[53]
- Running mate: Dennis Conn[9]
- Mike Lindell, founder and former CEO of My Pillow and candidate for RNC chair in 2023[54]
- Ross Nova[56][9]
- Kendall Qualls, healthcare technology executive, nominee for Minnesota's 3rd congressional district in 2020, and candidate for governor in 2022[57]
Not on ballot
- Patrick Knight, food company CEO[60]
Withdrawn
- Peggy Bennett, state representative from district 23A (2015–present) (withdrew after her running mate dropped out)[61]
- Scott Jensen, former state senator from the 47th district (2017–2021) and nominee for governor in 2022 (running for state auditor)[62]
- Jeff Johnson, former St. Cloud city councilor (2010–2018)[b][63]
- Chris Madel, attorney[64]
- Phillip Parrish, retired Naval intelligence officer, teacher, and school administrator (running for lieutenant governor as Mike Lindell's running mate)[9][55]
- Kristin Robbins, state representative from district 37A (2019–present)[65]
- Lee Albert Wickboldt[66]
Declined
- Zach Duckworth, state senator from the 57th district (2021–present) (running for re-election)[67]
- Tom Emmer, U.S. representative from Minnesota's 6th congressional district (2015–present) and nominee for governor in 2010[68]
- Pete Stauber, U.S. representative from Minnesota's 8th congressional district (2019–present)[68]
- Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota (2003–2011)[69]
Endorsements
Lisa Demuth
- State legislators
- Spencer Igo, state representative from district 7A (2021–present)[70]
- Carla Nelson, state senator from district 24 (2011–present)[71]
- Organizations
Mike Lindell
- Executive branch officials
- Donald Trump, president of the United States (2017–2021, 2025–present)[73]
- Organizations
Kendall Qualls
- Political parties
Declined to endorse
- State legislators
- Kristin Robbins, state representative from district 37A (2019–present) and former gubernatorial candidate[76]
Fundraising
Italics indicate a withdrawn candidate
| Campaign finance reports as of May 31, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Lisa Demuth (R) | $360,892 | $286,293 | $517,679 |
| Raul Estrada (R) | $4,765 | $4,854 | $20 |
| John Krhin (R) | $58,266 | $52,722 | $2,044 |
| Mike Lindell (R) | $648,960 | $717,491 | $11,704 |
| Ross Nova (R) | $6,000 | $3,048 | $2,952 |
| Kendall Qualls (R) | $211,305 | $294,731 | $34,189 |
| Source: Minnesota Campaign Finance Board[46] | |||
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[c] |
Margin of error |
Lisa Demuth |
Scott Jensen |
Mike Lindell |
Kendall Qualls |
Kristin Robbins |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KTSP/SurveyUSA[77] | July 29–August 4, 2026 | 458 (LV) | ± 5.6% | 28% | – | 34% | 17% | – | 6% | 16% |
| SurveyUSA[78][A] | July 15–20, 2026 | 478 (LV) | ± 5.4% | 26% | – | 35% | 11% | – | 5% | 22% |
| Big Data Poll (R)[79][B] | June 26–29, 2026 | 1,214 (LV) | ± 2.8% | 20% | – | 25% | 10% | – | 11%[d] | 34% |
| Minnesota Private Business Council (R)[80] | June 23–25, 2026 | 1,601 (LV) | ± 2.5% | 29% | – | 20% | 24% | – | 1%[e] | 26% |
| 34%[f] | – | 24% | 28% | – | – | 14% | ||||
| SurveyUSA[81][A] | June 11–16, 2026 | 450 (LV) | ± 5.4% | 22% | – | 27% | 17% | – | 10%[g] | 24% |
| Big Data Poll (R)[82][B] | May 18–20, 2026 | 512 (LV) | – | 19% | – | 21% | 9% | – | 12%[h] | 39% |
| Robbins withdraws from the race | ||||||||||
| Jensen withdraws from the race | ||||||||||
| Peak Insights (R)[83][C] | January 31 – February 1, 2026 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 17% | 12% | 18% | 11% | 3% | 7%[i] | 32% |
Caucus vote
On February 3, 2026, Minnesota Republicans held their party caucus.[84] Lisa Demuth won the party's straw poll for governor with approximately 32% of the vote.[48]
Results
Demuth
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
Qualls
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
Lindell
- 20–30%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
Robbins
- 30–40%
Parrish
- 20–30%
Bennett
- 40–50%
Undecided
- 30–40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lisa Demuth | 5,827 | 31.86% | |
| Republican | Kendall Qualls | 4,624 | 25.28% | |
| Republican | Mike Lindell | 3,235 | 17.69% | |
| Republican | Scott Jensen | 1,185 | 6.48% | |
| Republican | Kristin Robbins | 776 | 4.24% | |
| Republican | Phil Parrish | 728 | 3.98% | |
| Republican | Patrick Knight | 362 | 1.98% | |
| Republican | Jeff Johnson | 139 | 0.76% | |
| Republican | Peggy Bennett | 112 | 0.61% | |
| Republican | Brad Kohler | 78 | 0.43% | |
| Republican | Raul Estrada | 62 | 0.34% | |
| Republican | John Krhin | 59 | 0.32% | |
| Write-in | 56 | 0.31% | ||
| None | Undecided | 1,046 | 5.72% | |
| Total votes | 18,289 | 100.00% | ||
Debates
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
|||||||||||||||
| Peggy Bennett | Lisa Demuth | Raul Estrada | Scott Jensen | Jeff Johnson | Patrick Knight | Brad Kohler | Mike Lindell | Chris Madell | Phil Parrish | Kendall Qualls | |||||
| 1 | Jan. 15, 2026 | Scott County Republican Party | Bill Lieske | YouTube | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
| 2 | Mar. 11, 2026 | Second Congressional District Republicans | Tayler Rahm | YouTube | N | P | N | W | W | P | N | N | W | N | P |
| 3 | May 21, 2026 | KTTC Republican Party of Olmsted County |
YouTube | N | P | N | W | W | P | N | N | W | N | P | |
Results
Demuth
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
Lindell
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
Qualls
- 30–40%
Tie
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lisa Demuth | 179,683 | 43.4 | |
| Republican | Mike Lindell | 134,282 | 32.5 | |
| Republican | Kendall Qualls | 88,416 | 21.4 | |
| Republican | John Krhin | 4,663 | 1.1 | |
| Republican | Ross Nova | 2,760 | 0.7 | |
| Republican | Raul Estrada | 2,408 | 0.6 | |
| Republican | Loner Blue | 1,393 | 0.3 | |
| Total votes | 413,605 | 100.0 | ||
Independents and others
Candidates
Declared
Not on ballot
- Tom Berhane[87][9]
- Zac Harding[88][9]
- Adam Kedrowski[89][9]
- Brad Kohler, retired mixed martial arts fighter (previously registered as a Republican)[90][91][9]
- Steve Patterson, Grassroots-LC nominee for governor in 2022[92][93][9]
Withdrawn
Endorsements
Mike Newcome (I) (withdrawn)
- Political parties
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of March 31, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on Hand |
| Steve Young (G) | $1,586 | $369 | $1,218 |
| Source: Minnesota Campaign Finance Board[46] | |||
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[98] | Solid D | August 20, 2026 |
| Fox News[99] | Likely D | August 18, 2026 |
| Race to the WH[100] | Safe D | June 19, 2026 |
| RealClearPolitics[101] | Solid D | June 5, 2026 |
| Inside Elections[102] | Likely D | August 28, 2025 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[103] | Safe D | August 26, 2026 |
| Silver Bulletin[104] | Solid D | August 25, 2026 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[c] |
Margin of error |
Amy Klobuchar (DFL) |
Lisa Demuth (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KTSP/SurveyUSA[105] | August 13–17, 2026 | 661 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 51% | 36% | 1%[j] | 12% |
| Primary elections are held | |||||||
| Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy[106][D] | June 8–10, 2026 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 48% | 40% | – | 12% |
| Emerson College[107] | February 6–8, 2026 | 1,000 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 51% | 38% | 5%[k] | 6% |
| SurveyUSA[108][A] | January 27–30, 2026 | 575 (RV) | ± 4.8% | 49% | 34% | – | 17% |
Hypothetical polling
Amy Klobuchar vs. Peggy Bennett
Amy Klobuchar vs. Scott Jensen
Amy Klobuchar vs. Jeff Johnson
Amy Klobuchar vs. Patrick Knight
Amy Klobuchar vs. Brad Kohler as a Republican
Amy Klobuchar vs. Mike Lindell
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[c] |
Margin of error |
Amy Klobuchar (DFL) |
Mike Lindell (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy[106][D] | June 8–10, 2026 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 53% | 36% | 11% |
| Emerson College[107] | February 6–8, 2026 | 1,000 (LV) | ± 3.0% | 53% | 31% | 16% |
| SurveyUSA[108][A] | January 27–30, 2026 | 575 (RV) | ± 4.8% | 52% | 32% | 16% |
Amy Klobuchar vs. Phil Parrish
Amy Klobuchar vs. Kendall Qualls
Amy Klobuchar vs. Kristin Robbins
Tim Walz vs. Scott Jensen
Tim Walz vs. Phil Parrish
Tim Walz vs. Kendall Qualls
Tim Walz vs. Kristin Robbins
Tim Walz vs. Generic Republican
See also
Notes
- filed for Lieutenant governor with Kobey Layne
- No relation to previous gubernatorial nominee Jeff Johnson.
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - John Krhin with 4%; Raul Estrada with 3%; Loner Blue and Ross Nova with 2%
- Loner Blue, Raul Estrada, John Krhin, and Ross Nova with a combined 1%
- With voters who lean towards a given candidate
- "Another Republican" with 10%
- Patrick Knight with 4%; Peggy Bennett with 3%; Phil Parrish and John Krhin with 2%; Raul Estrada with 1%
- "Someone else" with 2%; Peggy Bennett, Thomas Evanstad, Jeff Johnson, Brad Kohler, and Phil Parrish with 1%; Patrick Knight with 0%
- Steve Young (G) with 1%
- "Someone else" with 5%
Partisan clients
- Poll sponsored by Lindell's campaign
- Poll sponsored by Michele Tafoya's campaign for U.S. Senate
- Poll sponsored by the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, KARE 11, and The Minneapolis Star Tribune
- Poll sponsored by Alpha News