Minnesota primary elections 2026: What you need to know as voting begins

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:39:49 -0500

Minnesota’s 2026 primary election kicks off with early voting starting Friday, June 26, with major races that include elections for governor and U.S. Senate.

Minnesota primary races

This year’s primary is drawing extra attention because both major parties have crowded fields in the governor’s race and the U.S. Senate race. The last time Minnesota had an open governor’s race was 2018.

Minnesota voters can cast their ballots early either by mail, in person at absentee voting locations or at select early voting sites starting Friday.

Who’s running

The Republican primary for governor features seven candidates, with the leading names including Kendall Qualls (the party’s endorsed pick), Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth and My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell.

The DFL also has seven gubernatorial candidates, with the most prominent being U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who has the party endorsement, and former Capitol staffer Kobey Layne.

In January 2025, current two-term governor Tim Walz surprised many with his announcement that he would not seek a third term, citing a desire to focus on Minnesota's current issues over another run as he sunsets his tenure.

For the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tina Smith, six DFLers and nine Republicans are running.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and U.S. Rep. Angie Craig are the top Democrats, while former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze and former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya lead the Republican field.

The entire Minnesota Legislature is up for reelection, with 16 state Senate primaries and 20 state House primaries. A total of 42 out of 201 Minnesota legislators will not return in 2027, with many citing threats of violence as a factor in their retirements.

Local races for offices like county commissioner or county attorney will appear only on ballots in the relevant districts.

Voters can find more about who’s on their ballot on the Minnesota Secretary of State website.

Minnesota's primary rules

Voters can request an absentee ballot be mailed to them, then return it by mail or in person.

There’s also a new "early voting" option, allowing voters to go to a polling place, fill out a ballot and put it right into a tabulator up to 18 days prior.

Minnesota is an open primary state, which means voters don’t have to declare a party to participate. However, in partisan races, voters must stick to candidates from one party on their ballot.

Voters can find more information about the process on the Minnesota Secretary of State website.

The primary election itself will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 11, but early voting gives Minnesotans a head start to cast their ballots earlier.

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Minnesota primary elections 2026: What you need to know as voting begins

Minnesota primary races

Who’s running

Minnesota's primary rules