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Republican Party primaries in Minnesota, 2026

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2024

Republican Party primaries, 2026

Minnesota Republican Party.jpg

Primary Date
August 11, 2026

Federal elections
Republican primaries for U.S. House

State party
Republican Party of Minnesota
State political party revenue

This page focuses on the Republican primaries that will take place in Minnesota on August 11, 2026.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Minnesota utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[1]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Federal elections

U.S. Senate

See also: United States Senate election in Minnesota, 2026 (August 11 Republican primary)

A Republican Party primary takes place on August 11, 2026, in Minnesota to determine which Republican candidate will run in the state's general election on November 3, 2026.

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Minnesota

The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Minnesota on August 11, 2026.


Candidate Connection = 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.

U.S. House

See also: United States House elections in Minnesota, 2026 (August 11 Republican primaries)
The U.S. House of Representatives elections in Minnesota are scheduled on November 3, 2026. Voters will elect eight candidates to serve in the U.S. House from each of the state's eight U.S. House districts. The primary is August 11, 2026. The filing deadline is June 2, 2026. To see a full list of candidates in the primary in each district, click "Show more" below.
Show more

District 1

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

District 2

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

District 3

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 4

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

District 5

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

District 6

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 7

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

District 8

Republican Party Republican primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

State elections

State Senate

See also: Minnesota State Senate elections, 2026
Elections for the Minnesota State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026. The primary is August 11, 2026. The filing deadline is June 2, 2026. To see a full list of state Senate candidates in the Republican primaries, click "Show more" below.
Show more

Minnesota State Senate elections, 2026

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
  • The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
  • Please contact Ballotpedia about candidate additions, withdrawals, or disqualifications.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1


Mark Johnson (i)

District 2


Steve Green (i)

District 3

Grant Hauschild (i)

Andrea Zupancich

District 4

Rob Kupec (i)

Austin Peterson

District 5


Paul Utke (i)

District 6

Denise Slipy

Keri Heintzeman (i)

District 7


Robert Farnsworth (i)

District 8

Jen McEwen (i)


District 9


Jordan Rasmusson (i)

District 10


Nathan Wesenberg (i)

District 11

Monique Doward

Jason Rarick (i)

District 12


Torrey Westrom (i)

District 13

Trent Dilks

Aaron Brutger
Kelly Martini

District 14

Aric Putnam (i)

Bernie Perryman

District 15

Andrea Boettger

Tiffany Lesmeister-Knott
Brian Mock

District 16


Andrew Lang (i)

District 17
District 18

Nick Frentz (i)


District 19


John Jasinski (i)

District 20


Steven Jacob

District 21
District 22


Jeremy Munson

District 23

Angie Hanson


District 24

Simon Glaser


District 25

Liz Boldon (i)


District 26

Lynn Carlson
Michael Todd

Cherie Johnson

District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30


Eric Lucero (i)

District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34

John Hoffman (i)


District 35
District 36
District 37

Kristy Janigo


District 38

Susan Pha (i)


District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43

Mike Freiberg


District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48

Mark Van Oven  Candidate Connection


District 49

Krish Subrahmanian
Dirk Tedmon


District 50

Karla Hult


District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54


Ben Bakeberg

District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
District 65
District 66
District 67


House of Representatives

See also: Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2026
Elections for the Minnesota House of Representatives will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026. The primary is August 11, 2026. The filing deadline is June 2, 2026. To see a full list of state House candidates in the Republican primaries, click "Show more" below.
Show more

Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2026

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
  • The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
  • Please contact Ballotpedia about candidate additions, withdrawals, or disqualifications.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1A
District 1B
District 2A

Reed Olson

Bidal Duran (i)

District 2B
District 3A

Aaron Kania

Roger Skraba (i)

District 3B

Rich Tru

Natalie Zeleznikar (i)

District 4A

Shelly Carlson
Kevin Salisbury
Erika Yoney  Candidate Connection


District 4B
District 5A
District 5B


Jonathan Claussen

District 6A
District 6B
District 7A


Spencer Igo (i)

District 7B

Dan Horoshak

Cal Warwas (i)

District 8A

Pete Johnson (i)


District 8B

Alicia Kozlowski (i)

Shawn Savela

District 9A
District 9B
District 10A


Brian Lindquist

District 10B
District 11A
District 11B
District 12A


Paul Anderson (i)

District 12B
District 13A


Ben Bugbee  Candidate Connection
Tanja Goering

District 13B


Dawn Loberg

District 14A

Abdi Daisane

Michael Conway
John Jose

District 14B

Zach Dorholt

Sue Ek

District 15A
District 15B
District 16A


Scott Van Binsbergen (i)

District 16B
District 17A
District 17B
District 18A
District 18B
District 19A
District 19B
District 20A

Brandon King  Candidate Connection


District 20B


Kevin Amundson  Candidate Connection
Brady Rouhoff  Candidate Connection

District 21A
District 21B
District 22A
District 22B
District 23A
District 23B
District 24A

Heather Holmes

Duane Quam (i)

District 24B
District 25A

Kim Hicks (i)


District 25B

Andy Smith (i)


District 26A

Daniel Wilson  Candidate Connection

Did not make the ballot:
Jack Hedin 

Aaron Repinski (i)

District 26B


Greg Davids (i)

District 27A
District 27B
District 28A
District 28B
District 29A
District 29B
District 30A
District 30B
District 31A
District 31B
District 32A
District 32B
District 33A
District 33B
District 34A
District 34B
District 35A
District 35B
District 36A

Jim DeMay


District 36B
District 37A

Darci Smith


District 37B
District 38A
District 38B
District 39A
District 39B
District 40A
District 40B
District 41A
District 41B

Jen Fox


District 42A
District 42B
District 43A

Kyrstin Schuette

Did not make the ballot:
Lyna Nyamwaya 


District 43B

Sam Sant
Ryan Winkler


District 44A
District 44B
District 45A
District 45B
District 46A

Larry Kraft (i)


District 46B
District 47A
District 47B
District 48A
District 48B
District 49A
District 49B

Elijah Bush  Candidate Connection


District 50A
District 50B
District 51A
District 51B
District 52A
District 52B
District 53A
District 53B
District 54A
District 54B
District 55A
District 55B
District 56A
District 56B
District 57A
District 57B

Brian Cohn
Steven Schroer  Candidate Connection


District 58A
District 58B
District 59A
District 59B
District 60A
District 60B
District 61A
District 61B
District 62A
District 62B
District 63A
District 63B
District 64A
District 64B
District 65A
District 65B
District 66A
District 66B
District 67A
District 67B


State executive offices

See also: Minnesota state executive official elections, 2026

Five state executive offices are up for election in Minnesota in 2026:

Governor
Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
Auditor


To see a full list of candidates in the Republican primaries, click "Show more" below.
Show more

Governor of Minnesota

Republican primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.


Did not make the ballot:
Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota

Republican primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Attorney General of Minnesota

Republican primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

Minnesota Secretary of State

Republican primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Minnesota State Auditor

Republican primary candidates

Note: The candidate list in this election may not be complete.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

Voting information

See also: Voting in Minnesota

Election information in Minnesota: Aug. 11, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 11, 2026
  • By mail: Received by July 21, 2026
  • Online: July 21, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 10, 2026
  • By mail: Received by Aug. 10, 2026
  • Online: Aug. 10, 2026

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 11, 2026
  • By mail: Received by Aug. 11, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

June 26, 2026 to Aug. 10, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (CT)


Context of the 2026 elections

Minnesota Party Control: 1992-2026
Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Governor R R R R R R R I I I I R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R D D D D R R R R R R D D D D
House D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D R R D D R R R R D D D D D D S R

State party overview

Republican Party of Minnesota

See also: Republican Party of Minnesota

Minnesota has a divided government, and no political party holds a state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. As of February 27, 2026, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 13 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.

In the 2020 election, Republicans had a net gain of two trifectas and two states under divided government became trifectas. Prior to that election, Minnesota had a divided government. There were 21 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 14 divided governments.


State political party revenue

See also: State political party revenue and State political party revenue per capita

State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws.

The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following map displays total state political party revenue per capita for the Republican state party affiliates.


Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Nineteen of 87 Minnesota counties—21.8 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Beltrami County, Minnesota 9.72% 9.89% 10.15%
Blue Earth County, Minnesota 3.69% 9.48% 12.95%
Chippewa County, Minnesota 28.70% 1.87% 5.87%
Clay County, Minnesota 1.95% 7.92% 16.02%
Fillmore County, Minnesota 21.70% 7.34% 8.26%
Freeborn County, Minnesota 17.24% 14.11% 17.13%
Houston County, Minnesota 13.87% 3.16% 10.69%
Itasca County, Minnesota 16.35% 9.83% 12.92%
Kittson County, Minnesota 22.05% 6.03% 18.54%
Koochiching County, Minnesota 19.85% 9.45% 10.10%
Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota 25.60% 0.90% 5.92%
Mahnomen County, Minnesota 2.92% 18.56% 25.31%
Mower County, Minnesota 7.82% 22.61% 23.61%
Nicollet County, Minnesota 3.04% 7.83% 10.52%
Norman County, Minnesota 13.34% 10.79% 26.94%
Rice County, Minnesota 3.06% 8.27% 11.50%
Swift County, Minnesota 25.57% 9.83% 13.79%
Traverse County, Minnesota 23.30% 4.44% 5.41%
Winona County, Minnesota 2.90% 12.85% 19.09%

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Minnesota with 46.4 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 44.9 percent. In presidential elections between 1860 and 2016, Minnesota voted Republican 50 percent of the time and Democratic 47.5 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Minnesota voted Democratic all five times.[2]

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Minnesota. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[3][4]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 68 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 27.6 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 62 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 30.4 points. Clinton won 12 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 66 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 12.3 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 72 out of 134 state House districts in Minnesota with an average margin of victory of 23.8 points. Trump won seven districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


See also


External links

Footnotes