Minnesota’s 7th District House Race 2026

Minnesota voters went to the polls August 11 in Democratic primaries pitting moderate Rep. Angie Craig against progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for the open Senate seat left by retiring Sen. Tina Smith. Flanagan drew backing from Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Ilhan Omar and Smith herself, while Craig secured establishment support from Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi, Pete Buttigieg and Gwen Walz, and roughly doubled Flanagan's fundraising. The race centered on Craig's contested vote for the Laken Riley Act, which she has since disavowed, immigration enforcement after federal agents killed two protesters during "Operation Metro Surge," and clashing views on Israel and AIPAC funding. On the Republican side, Michele Tafoya leads a fundraising-heavy field including party-endorsed Adam Schwarze and Royce White, while Amy Klobuchar faces minimal opposition for governor against Republicans Mike Lindell (Trump-endorsed), Lisa Demuth and Kendall Qualls, as the GOP seeks its first statewide win since 2006.

Craig's departure also triggered a six-way Democratic primary for her open 2nd Congressional District seat. The results will help determine whether Democrats lean moderate or progressive heading into the midterms and test Republican hopes of ending their statewide losing streak. Prediction markets, which favored Flanagan and Craig-adjacent dynamics entering Election Day, are watching outcomes as an early signal for the broader 2026 fight over Congress and Minnesota's state government.

A new Star Tribune/KARE 11 Minnesota Poll shows DFL Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan with a modest lead over Republican Michele Tafoya in the race for Minnesota's open U.S. Senate seat, one of the few Republicans hope to flip this cycle despite a difficult national environment for the GOP.

Flanagan's edge is driven largely by lopsided margins in Hennepin and Ramsey counties, reflecting broader dissatisfaction among Minnesota voters with President Donald Trump. Some voters, including independents critical of both parties, cited opposition to Trump's policies, including the administration's actions regarding Iran, as a reason for backing Flanagan.

Despite the deficit, the poll results support Tafoya's contention that she is running competitively in a traditionally Democratic-leaning state, bucking broader national trends that favor Democrats this cycle. Minnesota hasn't elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 2002, and Democrats appear more enthusiastic heading into the election even as national Republicans focus resources on defending seats in more conservative states.

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, shared the meaning of her Ojibwe name in a social media post, framing it as a statement of political identity. Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, said her name, "Gizhiiwewidamookwe," translates to "Speaks in a Loud and Clear Voice Woman," adding that she intends to be "Minnesota's voice in the U.S. Senate" rather than President Donald Trump's.

Flanagan, who has twice been elected as Gov. Tim Walz's running mate, is facing Republican candidate Michele Tafoya in the race. The post drew mixed reactions online, with some critics mocking the translation and others accusing her of political posturing. The exchange follows earlier scrutiny of Flanagan after video surfaced of her wearing a hijab while addressing Somali migrant constituents, amid broader controversy in Minnesota over fraud involving welfare funds tied to Somali community programs.

Minnesota Republican gubernatorial nominee Lisa Demuth is framing fraud and government waste as the key to funding her affordability agenda, which includes a $99 cap on vehicle tabs, property tax relief, and lower income tax rates. Asked how she would pay for these cuts, Demuth pointed to rooting out fraud, trimming government waste, and directing new agency commissioners to find $1 billion in savings rather than raising new revenue.

The approach reflects a broader strategy among Minnesota Republicans this fall: tying national frustration over rising costs to claims that state Democrats let spending go unchecked. Demuth applied similar logic to the prospect of federal Medicaid cuts, saying the state should first verify recipient eligibility before deciding whether to replace lost funds or reduce benefits. Critics note that recovered fraud dollars are difficult to convert into sustained tax relief, since permanent cuts require ongoing savings. Demuth dismissed concerns that fraud-driven savings might fall short, arguing a more business-friendly climate would grow the state's tax base over time. The debate adds to a competitive Minnesota election cycle that also includes a closely watched attorney general race.

Minnesota surpassed its previous midterm early-voting record, with nearly 729,000 residents casting ballots in person or by mail ahead of Tuesday's election and more than 938,000 absentee requests filed overall. Secretary of State Steve Simon forecast historically high turnout and said his office has prepared for the unprecedented possibility of federal interference, after President Trump suggested without evidence that the Minnesota Senate race—where Republican Michele Tafoya trails DFL Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in polling—could only be lost through fraud. The Justice Department plans to send election monitors nationwide. State officials, including Attorney General Keith Ellison, say Minnesota's elections are secure and monitors will see a fair, well-run process.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar is seeking to become Minnesota's next governor, casting herself as a moderate Democrat who can repair the state's reputation and address pandemic-era welfare fraud scandals that Republicans have used to paint Minnesota as a cautionary tale of liberal governance. Klobuchar, who built a national profile during her 2020 presidential run and has served in the U.S. Senate, is widely seen as the favorite in the race.

Her campaign comes as Minnesota Democrats face scrutiny over fraud tied to pandemic relief programs, along with lingering political fallout from the 2020 murder of George Floyd and subsequent unrest in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Klobuchar is positioning herself against more progressive currents within her party, emphasizing pragmatic governance over ideological approaches associated with democratic socialism. The race is being watched as a test of whether centrist Democrats can reclaim ground in a state Republicans have targeted as emblematic of government mismanagement, with implications for broader 2026 gubernatorial and midterm dynamics.

A new Star Tribune/KARE 11 Minnesota Poll shows U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar with a commanding lead over Republican Lisa Demuth in the race for Minnesota governor, three weeks before Election Day. Half of likely voters said they would back Klobuchar, who is seeking to become the state's first female governor, compared with 41% for Demuth, the speaker of the Minnesota House.

Klobuchar led in the Twin Cities and suburbs and remained competitive in parts of greater Minnesota, trailing Demuth by only five points in the increasingly conservative north while Demuth held a stronger edge in the south. Demuth has sought to tie Klobuchar to a fraud scandal in state government under DFL Gov. Tim Walz, and fraud ranked as the second-most important issue to voters polled. However, slightly more respondents trusted Klobuchar than Demuth to address it, suggesting the scandal has not given Republicans a clear advantage as they try to win the governor's office for the first time since 2006.

Public safety has also emerged as a key campaign theme, with both candidates rolling out crime plans. The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, which has previously backed both Demuth and Klobuchar, has declined to endorse in the governor's race even as it formally backed GOP Senate nominee Michele Tafoya, underscoring the issue's political weight without clearly tipping the scales in either direction.

Minnesota's 2026 governor race is sharpening into a referendum on laws Democrats passed during their 2023-2024 trifecta. Republican House leader Lisa Demuth wants to scale back paid family and medical leave's 20-week maximum, reinstate an income cap on universal school meals, drop automatic gas tax and car-tab increases, and fully eliminate state income tax on Social Security. She hasn't committed to repealing the state's abortion-rights law, calling it "settled law." Democrat Amy Klobuchar says she's open to "improvements" to leave and school-meal funding but supports current benefit levels, opposes tax hikes, and strongly backs the abortion law. Any actual changes would require legislative majorities, also on the ballot this November.

Minnesota Lt. Gov. and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan is drawing criticism after it emerged she is set to attend a fundraiser hosted by Dr. Nathan Chomilo, the state's Medicaid medical director since January 2020. His tenure has coincided with a massive Medicaid fraud scandal in Minnesota, much of it centered on programs like autism services and Housing Stabilization Services, with an estimated billions in fraudulent payments.

Republicans, including state Rep. Kristin Robbins and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, seized on the connection, arguing it undermines Flanagan's stated commitment to addressing fraud and reflects alignment with the party's progressive wing. Chomilo was not directly responsible for fraud oversight or payment processing, but critics note his senior role should have made him aware of the problems. Flanagan has previously said she is "appalled" by the fraud and pointed to new oversight measures, including an inspector general's office.

The controversy adds pressure to Flanagan's Senate bid against Republican Michele Tafoya, with fraud emerging as a top issue for Minnesota voters ahead of the November election.

Democrat Angie Nixon, who upset Alex Vindman in Florida's Senate primary by nearly 12 points, is now challenging Republican Senator Ashley Moody in a race most analysts consider a longshot for Democrats. Florida has 1.5 million more registered Republicans than Democrats, and polls show Moody leading, though margins vary. Nixon faces a severe funding gap, having raised under $1 million to Moody's more than $11 million as of late July, limiting her ability to counter attack ads tying her to the Democratic Socialists of America.

National Democrats have been slow to invest in the race, but Senators Chris Murphy and Bernie Sanders are campaigning with Nixon this week, with Sanders contributing $250,000. Nixon is running on universal health care, child care, and affordable housing, and is working to mobilize Black voters and women while courting GOP-leaning communities. She has embraced an unapologetically progressive, grassroots-driven campaign, drawing comparisons to gubernatorial nominee David Jolly's more moderate crossover strategy, with both races seen as tests of competing Democratic approaches ahead of 2028. Analysts say Trump's unpopularity and cost-of-living concerns give her an opening, but she would need exceptionally high Democratic turnout combined with Republican voters staying home to overcome the state's structural disadvantages.