Mike Newcome

Mike Newcome

Independent

Candidate, Governor of Minnesota

Elections and appointments

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

High school

White Bear Lake High School

Bachelor's

University of St. Thomas, 1992

Personal

Birthplace

St. Paul, MN

Religion

Christian: Catholic

Profession

Entrepreneur

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign X

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Mike Newcome (independent) is running for election for Governor of Minnesota. He declared candidacy for the general election scheduled on November 3, 2026.^[source]

Newcome completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Mike Newcome was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He graduated from White Bear Lake High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of St. Thomas in 1992. His career experience includes working as an entrepreneur.

Elections

2026

See also: Minnesota gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on August 11, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

General election for Governor of Minnesota

Brad Kohler (Independent) and Mike Newcome (Independent) are running in the general election for Governor of Minnesota on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Brad Kohler (Independent)
		Mike Newcome (Independent)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota

Rick DeVoe (D), Amy Klobuchar (D), Kobey Layne (D), and Christopher Seymore (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 11, 2026.

		Candidate
		Rick DeVoe
		Amy Klobuchar
		Kobey Layne
		Christopher Seymore

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Tim Walz (D)

Republican primary

Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota

The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for Governor of Minnesota on August 11, 2026.

		Candidate
		Peggy Bennett
		Lisa Demuth
		Thomas Evenstad
		Patrick Knight
		John Krhin
		Mike Lindell
		Phillip Parrish
		Kendall Qualls
		Kristin Robbins

---

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Scott Jensen (R)
• Jeff Johnson (R)
• Chris Madel (R)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Mike Newcome completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Newcome's responses.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in White Bear Lake, the youngest of six children in a family deeply rooted in public service. My parents were both active in Minnesota governance, instilling in me a lifelong respect for community and civic responsibility.

I graduated from White Bear Lake High School (Go Bears!) and later earned my degree from the University of St. Thomas. As a lifelong Minnesotan, entrepreneur, and former business owner, I’ve spent my career solving problems, managing budgets, and building teams, experiences that have prepared me to take on the real challenges Minnesota is facing today.

My wife, Marie, and I also know what it’s like to raise kids in Minnesota’s public schools, navigating the same classrooms, teachers, and community programs as so many families across our state. That reminds me every day who I’m fighting for: hardworking Minnesotans who deserve a fair shot and a better future for their children.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Safety and Opportunity for All Every Minnesotan should have equal access to the “good life.” That starts with being safe in your home, on your street, in your community, and in our beautiful Twin Cities. It extends to our children, who deserve to feel safe in their schools.
• World-Class Education No matter your zip code, every child deserves a public education that truly prepares them for the future. We will remove partisan-driven agendas from our schools and put educators and common sense back in control of our classrooms.
• Common Sense Accountable Government Our state agencies and the Minnesotans who work in them, will be empowered to make common sense decisions for Minnesotans, not for political parties or special interests. Massive fraud can and will be a thing of the past.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Public Safety

Public Education
Thriving Business Climate
The Environment

Effective & Efficient Government

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My mom and dad. They raised me to be color-blind and gave me every opportunity a person could ask for. I’m incredibly thankful to have had them as my parents.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

An honest broker of the facts, not tied to any political agenda. The only agenda should be serving the citizens of Minnesota.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

They should work for all the people, not the special-interest groups that won the bidding war.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Mike was a good man. He didn’t care about being important, he cared about doing what was right, even when no one was watching. That’s the legacy I hope to leave behind.”

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The moment that always hits home for me is the Miracle on Ice. USA, USA.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked in the energy-efficient lighting and energy industry for seven-plus years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

It’s Operation Thunderbolt — Operation Entebbe. What they did was incredible: flying into a hostile country, rescuing the hostages, and flying out. The entire mission was unbelievable, and they pulled it off. I couldn’t put the book down.”

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Superman. I mean, who wouldn’t?

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I need to keep listening. My dad always said I’d learn more with my ears than with my mouth.”

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

Being a true leader and bringing people together so we can get things completed for all Minnesotans

Different states require governors to have different degrees of responsibility for the state budgeting process. If it were your choice, what do you believe is the appropriate degree of gubernatorial involvement with this process in your state?

The governor sets the agenda and proposes agency budgets, but it’s the Legislature that works those ideas through the system. Every branch must be involved from beginning to end, none of this can be done in a vacuum.

In most states, governors have the power to make line-item vetoes. If that is true in your state, what would be your philosophy for how and when to use this power?

If a bill comes to my desk, it needs true bipartisan support. If it doesn’t, it will be subject to veto. Minnesota needs collaboration, not more partisan warfare.”

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

All branches of government should work together to ensure the state runs smoothly and focuses on the people’s business.

What do you love most about your state?

It’s about the outdoors and the people. That’s Minnesota. That’s who we are.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

At this point in time, we need the partisan battles to end so we can focus on the issues facing our state

Under what circumstances should the governor of your state be able to use emergency powers?

After COVID, we walked down a very slippery slope with executive powers. Unless we are at war/riots and need to deploy the National Guard, the Legislature must be involved in decisions that close schools, businesses, churches, and more. No governor should be making those calls alone. And in situations like COVID, you cannot politicize something that affects every Minnesotan. We need government and people coming together.”

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

None Yet

Would a state ballot initiative process be good or bad for your state?

It would depend on the initiative

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean to you?

It means you set the tone and the temperature. Act like a leader, bring in the best people to solve problems, regardless of their political affiliation.

Candidates hear many personal stories from voters. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching or memorable?

This is top of mind because it just happened. They’re not ‘voters’ to me, they’re people. Hearing firsthand what’s happening in Ukraine, and how both the young and the old are dealing with it, is heartbreaking. War is horrible. The killing is senseless. Sitting with their stories reminds me how important humanity, empathy, and peace truly are.”

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

At the end of the day, what matters most to me is being a good husband and father. That is my greatest accomplishment.

What role should your state’s government have in the development or use of artificial intelligence?

We need to keep a very close eye on AI. That much power and potential control must be carefully monitored. I’m still working on a full response to AI, but it’s clear we need safeguards that protect Minnesotans without stifling innovation.

What legislation would you want to sign related to election administration in your state?

Every election needs to be safe, secure, and clean. I believe we must ensure that the people who are voting are eligible to vote. Our elections are part of what make Minnesota, and America, the best in the world. Ensuring they are clean, fair, and properly run is good for everyone. This should not be a political issue, it’s simple common sense.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.

See also

2026 Elections

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Governor of Minnesota

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Footnotes

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