Minnesota's midterm election 2026: Follow the latest updates
Voters across Minnesota are heading to the polls Tuesday for the midterm elections.
Some of the biggest storylines include Minnesota's gubernatorial race, where the winner will almost certainly become the state's first woman governor, and the U.S. Senate race.
Follow the latest results and major storylines below, and check out full results at WCCO.com/results.
What to know about Election Day in Minnesota
- Most polling places open at 7 a.m. and all close at 8 p.m. Anyone in line by 8 p.m. can still vote. Find your polling place here. Minnesotans can also register at their polling place by bringing proof of residence.
- Governor: DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth and the Green Party's Steven Young are on the ballot to succeed Gov. Tim Walz, who ended his campaign for a third term. An average of recent polls had Klobuchar ahead of Demuth 51% to 40% as of Sunday. Klobuchar won the DFL primary, and Demuth won the Republican primary. Meet the candidates in WCCO's election guide for Demuth and the governor's race explainer.
- U.S. Senate: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the DFL nominee, faces Republican Michele Tafoya, a former NFL sideline reporter, for the seat of retiring Sen. Tina Smith. Independent Marisa Simonetti is also on the ballot. A polling average had Flanagan ahead 48.3% to 42.5% as of Sunday, which is within the margin of error. President Trump endorsed Tafoya on Oct. 12. Read more in WCCO's election guides for Flanagan and Tafoya.
- Attorney General: DFL Attorney General Keith Ellison faces Republican Ron Schutz. The most recent polls show Ellison with a narrow lead that is still within the margin of error. Read more about Ellison and Schutz.
- U.S. House: All eight congressional districts are on the ballot. The 2nd Congressional District is the only open seat, with Democrat Matt Little facing Republican state Sen. Eric Pratt. In the 1st Congressional District, a Democratic-sponsored poll showed Democrat Jake Johnson and Republican Rep. Brad Finstad tied at 43% each.
- Minnesota has not elected a Republican governor since Tim Pawlenty in 2006, and a Republican has not been elected to the U.S. Senate from Minnesota since Norm Coleman in 2002. Michele Tafoya hopes to be the key to the first GOP statewide win since 2006.
Senate update: Flanagan and Tafoya in a race shaped by outside ads
Democratic Sen. Tina Smith is retiring, leaving Minnesota with an open U.S. Senate seat.
Peggy Flanagan, the DFL nominee, has been lieutenant governor since 2019 and is the country's highest-ranking Native woman elected to executive office. She won the party's endorsement in May and beat Rep. Angie Craig in the August primary.
Republican Michele Tafoya is a former NBC sideline reporter and four-time Emmy winner who is now a conservative commentator. She once worked at WCCO-TV and is making her first run for office. She won the GOP primary over Adam Schwarze, who had been endorsed by the state party. Tafoya has said she is not running to answer to party bosses. She supports abortion access through the first trimester. President Trump endorsed her at a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Oct. 12, though she once urged him not to run for president again. She has tried to keep distance from Mr. Trump. Independent Marisa Simonetti is also on the ballot.
Outside groups have run harsh ads, attacking Tafoya for past praise of Mr. Trump and Flanagan over Minnesota's fraud scandals. A polling average had Flanagan ahead 48.3% to 42.5% as of Sunday, which is within the margin of error. A Republican has not been elected to the U.S. Senate from Minnesota since Norm Coleman in 2002.
Governor's race update: Klobuchar and Demuth lead a three-candidate field
Minnesotans are choosing a successor to Gov. Tim Walz, who ended his campaign for a third term earlier this year. Three candidates are on the ballot, and Minnesota will likely elect its first woman governor.
DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar jumped into the race after Walz stepped aside and won her party's primary. She has won all four of her Senate races by double digits. Her running mate is former Fergus Falls Mayor Ben Schierer.
Republican Lisa Demuth, the Minnesota House speaker from Cold Spring, was first elected to the House in 2018. She won the GOP primary over Mike Lindell and Kendall Qualls, even though the state Republican Party had endorsed Qualls. Her running mate is Ryan Wilson, a Maple Grove attorney.
Steven Young, a former U.S. Marine and corporate law attorney, is the Green Party's candidate. His campaign has focused on abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, banning data centers and creating green jobs. His running mate is Jane Kirby, a midwife from St. Paul.
Demuth has made the state's fraud scandals a centerpiece of her campaign. She has criticized a $1 million funding proposal Klobuchar supported that was later stripped from a bill. WCCO reported the money was never allocated and that no one in the organization has been implicated in wrongdoing. Klobuchar has said she doesn't want "a rubber stamp of Donald Trump" in the governor's office, and has tried to link Demuth to Mr. Trump's policies.
An average of recent polls had Klobuchar ahead 51% to 40% as of Sunday. Minnesota has not elected a Republican governor since Tim Pawlenty in 2006.