ST. PAUL — With polls closed, voters have weighed in on the gubernatorial primary that will test the sway of a party and a president’s endorsement.

Results of the Tuesday, Aug. 11, primary will determine which two candidates face off in November with the hopes of taking Minnesota’s top office.

The gubernatorial race changed dramatically in January when Democratic Gov. Tim Walz

abandoned his bid for reelection

in January 2026 amid heightened fraud scrutiny. Walz had planned to run for a historic third term.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, 66, of Minneapolis, has been seen as the favorite in the primary with the DFL endorsement and only one challenger during the convention, 26-year-old Kobey Lane. Klobuchar has seen record fundraising in the governor’s race, with $4.4 million cash on hand by the end of July.

The Republican side of the ballot has been far more contested.

At their convention, the GOP backed businessman Kendall Qualls, 62, of Medina, who also ran for governor in 2022. But a

late-in-the-game endorsement

from President Donald Trump has boosted candidate Mike Lindell, 65, the former CEO of Minnesota-based MyPillow.

“These politicians that are in Minnesota, both Democrats and Republicans, aren’t getting anything done,” Lindell said at an election night watch party in Minneapolis. “We need to make Minnesota affordable again.”

However, Lindell said he would back whoever wins the primary Tuesday night in November.

“I don’t think any of them can win — I really don’t — but I would try everything I could to get them to win if we have an upset tonight,” he said.

Michael Johnson / Agweek

House Speaker Lisa Demuth, 59, of Cold Spring, has topped both Lindell and Qualls in terms of cash on hand, but doesn’t have the endorsement of the state party or Trump.

The GOP primary

has been viewed as a test

of the sway of both the party and Trump’s endorsement. Republican primary voters haven’t opted for a non-party-endorsed candidate since 1991.

Republicans also haven’t won statewide in 20 years, so the outcome in November has the potential to break a long losing streak for the GOP, or reiterate Minnesota’s identity as a blue state.

If Klobuchar wins in November, one of Minnesota’s two U.S. Senate seats would open, and as governor, she would appoint someone to fill it.

Mary Murphy joined Forum Communications in October 2024 as the Minnesota State Correspondent. She can be reached by email at mmurphy@forumcomm.com.

Minnesota Democrats will decide a competitive US Senate primary in another face-off between moderate and progressive candidates that could define the party’s identity heading into the midterm elections.

Immigration has emerged as a defining issue in the Democratic primary election on Tuesday in the Midwestern state of Minnesota for the United States Senate, as establishment-backed Representative Angie Craig and more leftist Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan offer competing visions for how Democrats should respond to US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Craig, who has a record of winning competitive races, has faced criticism after voting for a law that was part of Trump’s crackdown. She has since said she regrets the vote.

Flanagan has drawn support from prominent progressive Democrats, including Representative Ilhan Omar, who endorsed her campaign. Omar is also running to retain her House seat in District 5.

From late 2025 through early 2026, federal immigration agents were stationed throughout Minneapolis as part of a Trump administration deportation campaign. The operation drew demonstrators, causing clashes with city residents. In January, Renee Good and Alex Pretti were fatally shot by federal officers, provoking a nationwide backlash to the administration’s immigration policies. Craig and Flanagan have slammed the Trump administration for the operation in the state. In Congress, Craig introduced articles of impeachment against then-US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

When do the polls in Minnesota open and close?

Polls are open from 7am CT (12pm GMT) and close at 8pm CT (1am GMT).

Who is running for Tina Smith’s Senate seat?

Craig and Flanagan are competing for the Democratic nomination in an open-seat race after Senator Tina Smith announced she would not seek re-election. Smith is backing Flanagan.

Craig flipped a Republican-held congressional seat in 2018, and every two years she overcame millions of dollars of attack ads to win tough re-election campaigns. Craig was one of the House Democrats to call for then-US President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 race after his debate against Trump. Craig’s key supporters are Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz, House Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, former House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and former US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

But opponents criticise Craig and nearly 60 other Democrats in the House and Senate who voted in support of the Laken Riley Act in 2025, Trump’s bill that requires federal authorities to detain migrants who face charges of theft and violent crimes. She has walked back her support of that bill and has defended her record as a Democrat.

“I consider myself a progressive,” she told reporters after an event on Saturday. “Every race that I run, Republicans run ads against me saying I vote with Democrats 96, 97 percent of the time.”

“My primary opponent voted for Donald Trump’s immigration bill and was the only Minnesota Democrat to do so,” Flanagan told volunteers in St. Paul on Saturday. “She since then has said that she regrets that vote and I’m glad. But it shouldn’t have taken 14 months.”

“We can stand with the immigrant community and not just when it’s politically expedient for us,” Flanagan added.

Like Abdul El-Sayed, who won last week’s Democratic Senate primary in Michigan, Flanagan supports Medicare for All and wants to curtail US military support for Israel. Flanagan also has support from key figures in the party’s progressive wing, including Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

The Republican primary features nine candidates, including former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya; former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze, who has the state party’s endorsement; and former professional basketball player Royce White, who was the Republican nominee for the state’s other US Senate seat in 2024. Trump has not endorsed a candidate.

Who is running against Ilhan Omar?

US Rep. Ilhan Omar has four challengers in District 5: Julie Le, Abena McKenzie, Latonya Reeves and Nate Schluter. Omar secured the Democratic Party endorsement in May.

Who is running to replace Tim Walz?

Governor Tim Walz is not seeking another term and both parties are competing for an open governor’s office. On the Democratic side, US Senator Amy Klobuchar, is expected to win the nomination for the party.

On the Republican side, the top contenders include Trump-endorsed Mike Lindell, state House Speaker Lisa Demuth and Kendall Qualls, who has the endorsement of the state GOP.

Minnesota hasn’t elected a Republican governor in over a decade.

Why is Minnesota’s governor race important?

Trump has repeatedly criticised outgoing Walz, the 2024 Democratic nominee for Vice President, portraying his administration as incompetent regarding allegations of widespread fraud involving federal childcare funds. Legislators, community groups and political organisations have labelled Trump’s statements as racist.

Charges filed on Monday revealed how close a shootout with police came to taking a tragic turn. Investigators say the five children and wife or the man charged were all inside with him. John Lauritsen spoke with neighbors who said this isn’t the first time police have been to the man’s home.