2026 Minnesota gubernatorial election

For related races, see 2026 United States gubernatorial elections.

2026 Minnesota gubernatorial election
November 3, 2026
 
Party Democratic (DFL) Republican
Incumbent Governor

Tim Walz
Democratic (DFL)



The 2026 Minnesota gubernatorial election is scheduled to be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Minnesota. Primary elections are scheduled for August 11, 2026.[1] Incumbent two-term Democratic (DFL) Governor Tim Walz initially ran for a third term in office, but ended his reelection campaign in January 2026.[2] On January 29, 2026, Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar announced she was entering the race.[3]

Democratic–Farmer–Labor primary

Candidates

Declared

Filed paperwork

Potential

Withdrawn

Declined

Caucus

On February 3, 2026, Minnesota DFLers held their party caucus.[21] Amy Klobuchar won the party's straw poll for governor with approximately 72% of the vote.[22]

Results

Results by reporting unit:
  Klobuchar
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  •   80–90%
  •   90–100%
  Uncommitted
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  Abstained
  •   No votes
DFL caucus straw poll results
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%

Endorsements

Amy Klobuchar
Executive branch officials
U.S. senators
U.S. representatives
Statewide officials
Organizations
Tim Walz (withdrawn)
Labor unions
Organizations

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Filed paperwork

  • Ross Nova, YouTuber[44]
  • Lee Albert Wickboldt, Army veteran[45]

Withdrawn

Declined

Caucus

On February 3, 2026, Minnesota Republicans held their party caucus.[52] Lisa Demuth won the party's straw poll for governor with approximately 32% of the vote.[22]

Results

Results by reporting unit:
  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%
Hashes indicate a tie
Republican caucus straw poll results
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%


Endorsements

Mike Lindell
Executive branch officials

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Lisa
Demuth 		Scott
Jensen 		Mike
Lindell 		Kendall
Qualls 		Kristin
Robbins 		Other Undecided
February 9, 2026 Jensen and Johnson withdraw from the race
Peak Insights (R)[57][A] January 31 – February 1, 2026 500 (LV) ± 4.0% 17% 12% 18% 11% 3% 7%[c] 32%

Independents

Candidates

Declared

  • Mike Newcome, entrepreneur and business consultant[58]
  • Steve Patterson, Grassroots-LC nominee for governor in 2022[59]
  • Calvin Larson Jr., labor union leader[60]

Publicly expressed interest

Endorsements

Mike Newcome (I)
Political parties

General election

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[63] Solid D February 17, 2026
Inside Elections[64] Likely D August 28, 2025
Sabato's Crystal Ball[65] Likely D September 4, 2025
Race to the WH[66] Likely D January 22, 2026

Polling

Amy Klobuchar vs. Peggy Bennett

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Amy
Klobuchar (DFL) 		Peggy
Bennett (R) 		Undecided
SurveyUSA[67][B] January 27–30, 2026 575 (RV) ± 4.8% 50% 30% 20%

Amy Klobuchar vs. Lisa Demuth

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Amy
Klobuchar (DFL) 		Lisa
Demuth (R) 		Undecided
Emerson College[68] February 6–8, 2026 1,000 (LV) ± 3.0% 51% 38% 11%
SurveyUSA[67][B] January 27–30, 2026 575 (RV) ± 4.8% 49% 34% 17%

Amy Klobuchar vs. Patrick Knight

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Amy
Klobuchar (DFL) 		Patrick
Knight (R) 		Undecided
SurveyUSA[67][B] January 27–30, 2026 575 (RV) ± 4.8% 49% 33% 18%

Amy Klobuchar vs. Brad Kohler

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Amy
Klobuchar (DFL) 		Brad
Kohler (R) 		Undecided
SurveyUSA[67][B] January 27–30, 2026 575 (RV) ± 4.8% 49% 32% 19%

Amy Klobuchar vs. Mike Lindell

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Amy
Klobuchar (DFL) 		Mike
Lindell (R) 		Undecided
Emerson College[68] February 6–8, 2026 1,000 (LV) ± 3.0% 53% 31% 16%
SurveyUSA[67][B] January 27–30, 2026 575 (RV) ± 4.8% 52% 32% 16%

Amy Klobuchar vs. Phil Parrish

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Amy
Klobuchar (DFL) 		Phil
Parrish (R) 		Undecided
SurveyUSA[67][B] January 27–30, 2026 575 (RV) ± 4.8% 49% 32% 19%

Amy Klobuchar vs. Kendall Qualls

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Amy
Klobuchar (DFL) 		Kendall
Qualls (R) 		Undecided
SurveyUSA[67][B] January 27–30, 2026 575 (RV) ± 4.8% 49% 33% 18%

Amy Klobuchar vs. Kristin Robbins

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Amy
Klobuchar (DFL) 		Kristin
Robbins (R) 		Undecided
SurveyUSA[67][B] January 27–30, 2026 575 (RV) ± 4.8% 48% 33% 19%
Hypothetical polling

Amy Klobuchar vs. Scott Jensen

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Amy
Klobuchar (DFL) 		Scott
Jensen (R) 		Undecided
SurveyUSA[67][B] January 27–30, 2026 575 (RV) ± 4.8% 49% 35% 16%

Amy Klobuchar vs. Jeff Johnson

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Amy
Klobuchar (DFL) 		Jeff
Johnson (R) 		Undecided
SurveyUSA[67][B] January 27–30, 2026 575 (RV) ± 4.8% 50% 33% 17%

Tim Walz vs. Scott Jensen

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Tim
Walz (DFL) 		Scott
Jensen (R) 		Undecided
SurveyUSA[69][B] September 15–18, 2025 568 (LV) ± 4.8% 46% 41% 13%

Tim Walz vs. Phil Parrish

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Tim
Walz (DFL) 		Phil
Parrish (R) 		Undecided
SurveyUSA[69][B] September 15–18, 2025 568 (LV) ± 4.8% 49% 38% 13%

Tim Walz vs. Kendall Qualls

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Tim
Walz (DFL) 		Kendall
Qualls (R) 		Undecided
SurveyUSA[69][B] September 15–18, 2025 568 (LV) ± 4.8% 50% 37% 13%

Tim Walz vs. Kristin Robbins

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Tim
Walz (DFL) 		Kristin
Robbins (R) 		Undecided
SurveyUSA[69][B] September 15–18, 2025 568 (LV) ± 4.8% 47% 40% 13%

Tim Walz vs. Generic Republican

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[b] 		Margin
of error 		Tim
Walz (DFL) 		Generic
Republican 		Undecided
RMG Research[70][C] December 10–16, 2025 800 (RV) ± 3.5% 40% 46% 14%

See also

Notes

  1. ^ No relation to previous gubernatorial nominee Jeff Johnson.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  3. ^ "Someone else" with 2%; Peggy Bennett, Thomas Evanstad, Jeff Johnson, Brad Kohler, and Phil Parrish with 1%; Patrick Knight with 0%

Partisan clients

  1. ^ Poll sponsored by Michele Tafoya's campaign for U.S. Senate
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Poll sponsored by KSTP-TV
  3. ^ Poll sponsored by Alpha News

References

  1. ^ "Elections Calendar". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  2. ^ Van Oot, Torey (January 5, 2026). "Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz drops reelection bid". Axios. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  3. ^ Siegel, Benjamin; Oppenheim, Oren (January 29, 2026). "Sen. Amy Klobuchar announces run for Minnesota governor amid immigration turmoil". ABC News. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  4. ^ "Candidates". cfb.mn.gov. November 5, 2025. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  5. ^ Siegel, Benjamin; Oppenheim, Oren (January 29, 2026). "Sen. Amy Klobuchar announces run for Minnesota governor amid immigration turmoil". ABC News. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  6. ^ "Candidates". cfb.mn.gov. January 28, 2026. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  7. ^ "Candidates". cfb.mn.gov. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  8. ^ article, John Molseed Share Share this (May 2, 2022). "1st Congressional District race gets less crowded on DFL side". Rochester Post Bulletin. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  9. ^ "Candidates". cfb.mn.gov. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  10. ^ a b Olson, Blois (January 5, 2026). "morning take | Walz Won't Run". The Daily Agenda. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  11. ^ Turtinen, Melissa (January 5, 2026). "Gov. Tim Walz will not seek reelection in Minnesota". FOX 9. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  12. ^ Oot, Torey Van (January 5, 2026). "Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz ends campaign for reelection". Axios. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  13. ^ Schoch, Al; Peterson, Lindsey (August 22, 2025). "Who won't be in the mix if Gov. Tim Walz doesn't run for re-election? Rep. Angie Craig says she's staying in Senate race". WCCO-TV.
  14. ^ "Ellison gives statement on re-election run". KAAL. January 20, 2026. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  15. ^ Wernus, Katie (January 5, 2026). "Minnesota governor's race: Potential Democratic contenders after Walz's exit". Fox 9. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  16. ^ Cummings, Caroline (November 29, 2024). "Rep. Dean Phillips: Dem primary would've 'elevated a candidate better positioned to win' presidency". CBS News. Retrieved December 10, 2024. He ruled out a bid for the U.S. Senate or for the governor's office in 2026
  17. ^ Van Oot, Torey (January 5, 2026). "Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz drops reelection bid". Axios. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  18. ^ Kite, Allison; Faircloth, Ryan; Minor, Nathaniel (January 5, 2026). "Sen. Amy Klobuchar may run for governor". Minnesota Star Tribune. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  19. ^ Nir, David (January 6, 2026). "Morning Digest: After Walz calls it quits, a heavyweight replacement looms". The Downballot. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  20. ^ "Frentz seeks reelection for Senate seat". Mankato Free Press. December 20, 2025. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  21. ^ TRIBUNE, MARIE TOLONEN MESABI (February 5, 2026). "Amy Klobuchar tops DFL caucus straw poll". Mesabi Tribune. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
  22. ^ a b "Office of the State Of Minnesota Secretary of State". sos.mn.gov. Archived from the original on February 4, 2026. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  23. ^ "Buttigieg endorses Klobuchar's Minnesota governor bid after they clashed in 2020 Dem primary". The Hill. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  24. ^ a b Nitzberg, Alex (January 30, 2026). "Pete Buttigieg, other Democrats endorse Amy Klobuchar for Minnesota governor". Fox News. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  25. ^ Phillips, Dean (January 29, 2026). X.com https://x.com/i/status/2016851354149695499. Retrieved February 2, 2026. Sen. Amy Klobuchar has my complete and total endorsement for Governor of Minnesota! {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  26. ^ Schweitzer, Erich (January 29, 2026). "Local politicians, other governor candidates react to Klobuchar running for governor". ABC 6 News. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  27. ^ "EMILYs List Endorses Amy Klobuchar in Minnesota Governor's Race". EMILYs List. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  28. ^ a b "Endorsements". GIFFORDS. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
  29. ^ "Endorsement: Tim Walz". SEIU MN on Facebook. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  30. ^ Democratic Governors Association. "DGA Chair Laura Kelly Statement on Governor Tim Walz Running for Reelection". Democratic Governor Association. Democratic Governors Association. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  31. ^ "Endorsement alert!". Planned Parenthood Action. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  32. ^ "Endorsed Candidates". VoteVets. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  33. ^ "State Rep. Peggy Bennett joins MN Governor race". KAAL. January 2, 2026. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  34. ^ Cummings, Caroline (November 2, 2025). "Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth jumps in the governor's race to challenge DFL Gov. Tim Walz". CBS News. Retrieved November 2, 2025.
  35. ^ Griffith, Michelle. "House Speaker Lisa Demuth picks Ryan Wilson as running mate in campaign for governor • Minnesota Reformer". Minnesota Reformer. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  36. ^ Brown, Kyle (November 6, 2025). "Food executive Patrick Knight announces run for governor". KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
  37. ^ Pioneer Staff Report (May 13, 2025). "Minnesota Governor candidate Brad Kohler presents at Beltrami County GOP meeting". The Bemidji Pioneer. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  38. ^ lauren.viska@apgsomn.com, LAUREN VISKA (December 15, 2025). "Governor forum hones in on fraud, test scores". Southernminn.com. Retrieved December 17, 2025. Sitting from left to right at the Steele County Republican Governor forum, businessman and Divine Mercy Catholic Church Executive Administrator Phillip Parrish, former Hennepin County commissioner Jeff Johnson, House Speaker Lisa Demuth, businessman and former UFC fighter Brad Kohler, Minnesota Rep. Kristin Robbins, physician and entrepreneur Kendall Qualls, former state lawmaker Patrick Knight, former state senator Scott Jensen and former ordained minister John Krhin.
  39. ^ "MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell announces a campaign for Minnesota governor". NBC News. December 11, 2025. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  40. ^ Spewak, Danny (May 14, 2025). "Kendall Qualls planning run for GOP nomination in 2026 Minnesota governor race". KARE. Retrieved June 2, 2025. Another candidate, U.S. Navy veteran Phillip Parrish, wrote that he is 'running as a Republican but reject the divisive tactics of partisan elites.'
  41. ^ Cox, Peter (May 8, 2025). "Kendall Qualls enters 2026 Minnesota governor's race as a GOP nomination contender". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  42. ^ "Republican state Rep. Kristin Robbins announces run for Minnesota governor". MPR News. August 20, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  43. ^ Record, Jeffrey Hage Morrison County (January 17, 2026). "Crowded GOP field takes the stage in Little Falls". hometownsource.com. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
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  45. ^ "Candidates". cfb.mn.gov. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  46. ^ Morrell, Lydia (February 9, 2026). "Scott Jensen ends bid for Minnesota governor, announces run for state auditor instead". KARE 11. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  47. ^ Morrell, Lydia (February 9, 2026). "Minnesota gubernatorial candidate suspends campaign after daughter dies from stabbing". KARE 11. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  48. ^ Faircloth, Ryan (January 26, 2026). "Chris Madel ends GOP bid for governor, says he can't support federal 'retribution' against Minnesota". Minnesota Star Tribune. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
  49. ^ Nir, David; Singer, Jeff (July 8, 2025). "Morning Digest: A senior House Democrat lands a primary challenger after health scares". The Downballot. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
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  51. ^ Reporter, The; Reported, Or; this?, verified from knowledgeable sources The Trust Project What is (February 14, 2025). "Flanagan, White enter US Senate race in Minnesota; Ellison says he is 'not in or out'". InForum. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
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  59. ^ Stolle, Matthew (November 18, 2025). "Austin's Steve Patterson is running for governor again. His running mate? JT Thompson of JT & Gunslingers fame". Rochester Post Bulletin. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
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  62. ^ "Wrestler turned Minnesota governor tears into 'draft dodging coward' Trump over ICE shooting". January 9, 2026.
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