Minnesota's primary election 2026: Follow the day's updates

CBS News projects that Erik Osberg will win the Democratic nomination for Minnesota House District 7, taking on GOP incumbent Michelle Fischbach.

With 86% of the votes in, Osberg earned 65.7% while Steve Carlson received 34.3%.

Fischbach, who has represented Minnesota's 7th Congressional District since 2021, ran unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Tyler Bass will win the Republican nomination for Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District, CBS News projects.

Bass earned the nomination with 55.4% of the vote, defeating Quentin Wittrock, who received 44.6%.

Kelly Morrison, who has represented the district since 2025, ran for the DFL nomination unopposed.

CBS News projects Tad Jude will win the Republican nomination for Minnesota Secretary of State.

Jude earned more than 60% of the vote, while his opponent, Wendy Phillips, earned just over 39%.

Steve Simon, the current secretary of state, received the DFL nomination after running unopposed.

Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has secured the Democratic nomination for reelection in the 2026 primary, CBS News projects.

Omar captured 80.7% of the votes in the 5th Congressional District, which she has represented in the U.S. House since 2018. The 5th is the most Democratic district in Minnesota and in the entire nation.

Her opponents — Julie T. Le, Abena McKenzie, Latonya Reeves and Nate Schluter — picked up 6.7%, 1.3%, 6% and 5.3%, respectively. 

In the Republican primary for Omar's seat, John Nagel won with just over 52% of the votes. Her other GOP competitors, Dalia al-Aqidi, Angela Marie Walls-Windhauser and Abbey Zieska, had 26.2%, 15.5% and 6.1%, respectively.  

Pete Stauber will win the Republican nomination for Minnesota's 8th Congressional District, CBS News projects.

With 69% of the votes tallied, Stauber received more than 86% of the vote, while his opponent, Anthony Hamilton, earned 13.6%.

Stauber has represented the district since 2019.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan has captured the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in the 2026 Minnesota primary election, CBS News projects.

With 80% of votes counted, Flanagan earned 58.8% of the votes, while her opponent, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, picked up 39.7%.  

Flanagan, the candidate endorsed by the Minnesota DFL Party at its state convention in May.

Michele Tafoya is the projected winner in Minnesota's Republican U.S. Senate primary and will meet Flanagan in the midterm election in November for the seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.

Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth will win the Republican primary in Minnesota's gubernatorial race, CBS News projects.

Demuth, with 71% of votes in, earned 44.9% of votes, while Mike Lindell earned 31.1% and Kendall Qualls earned 21.4%. Other candidates for the Republican nomination were John Krhin, Ross Nova, Raul Estrada and Loner Blue.

"We began this campaign nine months ago. And the thing I've heard over and over from Minnesotans from all walks of life is that people are ready for a fresh start," Demuth said after securing the nomination. "The Walz/Klobuchar status quo simply isn't working. The Minnesota we all know and love is slipping away."  

Qualls conceded to Demuth as her lead grew in the primary, congratulating her for "earning the support of the Republican primary voters."

Lindell told WCCO he will not concede to Demuth until every vote is counted.

The state Republican Party had endorsed Qualls over Demuth. While she said in February she was "committed to both seek and abide by the endorsement," she stayed in the race, citing irregularities in the convention voting process.

Scott Jensen is projected to win the Republican nomination for Minnesota State Auditor.

With 53% of the votes counted, Jensen earned 67% of the vote, defeating Nate George and Will Finn, who picked up 26% and 7%, respectively.

Jensen previously served in the Minnesota Senate from 2017 to 2021 and was the Republican nominee for governor in 2022.

Jensen will face off against Zach Filipovich, who ran unopposed for the DFL nomination, in the general election.

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum is projected to win the DFL endorsement in her bid for reelection representing Minnesota's 4th Congressional District. 

McCollum, who has served as the district's representative since 2001, defeated Aswar Rahman for the endorsement.

CBS News projects that Paul Wikstrom will win the Republican nomination to face off against McCollum in November. Wikstrom received more than 72% of the vote for the GOP nomination, defeating Paul Xiong and Gene Rechtzigel.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer won the Republican nomination for Minnesota House District 6, CBS News projects.

Emmer beat out Mike Foley and Chris Corey for the GOP nomination. He has represented the state's 6th Congressional District, which includes Anoka, Benton, Carver and parts of Sheburne, Stearns and Wright counties, since 2015.

"Minnesotans know what is at stake in November - it's an election of chaos vs common sense, communism vs
freedom. As your Congressman, I'll continue standing up for our shared conservative values, working alongside President Trump to combat fraud, lower the cost of living, and advance our America First agenda," Emmer said regarding the results.

Emmer will face Doug Chapin, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, in the Nov. 3 general election.

Former Minnesota State Sen. Matt Little has secured the Democratic nomination for Rep. Angie Craig's seat in the state's only open Congressional race in the 2026 primary election, CBS News projects.

With 77% of votes tallied, Little captured just over 47% of the votes in the 2nd Congressional District race, while his main opponents, State Rep. Kaela Berg and State Sen. Matt Klein, picked up 16% and 30%, respectively.

Abdi Abdulle, Christopher Mosel and Hugh McTavish were also on the ballot for Democrats.

Little, who was endorsed by the Minnesota DFL Party at its state convention in May, served as mayor of Lakeville for four years before being elected to the Senate in 2016.

Michele Tafoya, a former television sports reporter, is the winner of the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in the 2026 Minnesota primary election, CBS News projects.

With 19% of the ballots counted, Tafoya has more than 51% of the vote. One of her opponents, Adam Schwarze, has just over 22% of the vote. Schwarze was endorsed by the Republican Party of Minnesota at its state convention in Duluth in May.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is projected to win the DFL endorsement in his bid for reelection.

With 11% of the ballots tallied, Ellison received nearly 82% of the vote. His sole opponent for the Democratic nomination was David Madgett, a Minneapolis-based attorney.

Ellison became the state's 30th attorney general in 2019.

CBS News projects U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad will secure the Republican nomination for Minnesota House District 1.

With 8% of the votes in, Finstad has earned over 90% of the vote. Two other Republican candidates were on the ballot: Oliver Morlan and Gregory Goetzman.

Finstad will face off against Democrat Jake Johnson in the November election.

Adam Schwarze, the former Navy SEAL and Marine who is the Minnesota Republican Party-endorsed candidate in the U.S. Senate primary race, spoke with WCCO Tuesday evening just before polls closed.

Schwarze expressed frustration with the media attention and money that Michele Tafoya, the former sports broadcaster running against him, had been getting in the lead-up to election night.

He said if he loses to Tafoya, he may part ways with "Republican Party politics."

"If I lose tonight, this will be the first time in the history of the Minnesota Republican Party that the endorsed candidate for U.S. Senate has ever lost. And it's no secret that my opponent was bought and paid for by D.C.," Schwarze said. "This is what's the interesting thing is, there's going to be a couple of scenarios tonight. Either Michele Tafoya and Angie Craig win. That means the D.C. won. It means, it means the will of the people on both sides of the aisle is no longer relevant."

Schwarze said that even though his platform is diametrically opposed to Craig's progressive DFL challenger, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, "at least she stands for something."

"If you put Michelle Tafoya and Angie Craig in a bucket and just pulled out their names, you wouldn't actually know which ones are Republican," he said.

CBS News projects Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the heavy favorite, will win the Democratic primary in Minnesota's gubernatorial race and will face the Republican challenger in November.

With 4% of the votes tallied, Klobuchar has earned just over 89% of the vote. Six other Democratic candidates were on the ballot.

"Minnesotans expect leaders who deliver results, not excuses. I am running for governor to lower costs and make life affordable, expand our economy with a growth agenda, and root out the fraud," Klobuchar said following her win. "I'll take on the hard fights for our state, and I won't wait to take action to improve people's lives." 

The Minnesota DFL endorsed Klobuchar and her running mate, former Fergus Falls Mayor Ben Schierer, in May. She rode an early lead in both polling and fundraising to the primary win.

"I'm excited. As I've been working with our team on Sunday night, we had our team call. Last night we had a telephone town hall with over 20,000 people on it that are grassroots call, and what I've been feeling since Sunday is I'm at peace. We've worked as hard as we could. Now it's completely up to the voters and I'm really excited to see what the voters decide. People just want to know that there's change coming for Minnesota and what I will tell you is Amy Klobuchar is not the change that Minnesota needs," GOP gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth said when asked how she feels ahead of polls closing

Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota's lieutenant governor, is looking to ride a progressive wave to a primary win for Tina Smith's Senate seat. She's seen as the more left-leaning candidate, while Congresswoman Angie Craig is seen as the more moderate. 

At a polling place Tuesday afternoon in Lakeville, in Craig's soon-to-be former Congressional district, DFL voters were pretty split when it came to the frontrunners. Voters said they have everything from Medicare, to immigrant rights, to the environment on their minds.

"In the recent years there's been a lot of growing violence towards LGBTQ people and women, and it's just seeming to go up and not going down and it's getting concerning for me, so that's been one of my biggest issues," said James Eby.

"I'd like to see somebody in there that can stand up to some of the current government practices and just stand up for our rights," said Betsy Jansky.

"I've always cared about everything that went on recently in Minnesota and what is going on in this country. Someone fought for me to vote and I'm going to use it," said Lori Hudyma. "And I feel like at this point, there are people who are thinking about wanting to take that away."

WCCO's Esme Murphy will break down the latest on primary night in Minnesota alongside Democratic strategist Abou Amara and Republican strategist Amy Frederiksen.   

How to watch: 

• What: Minnesota Primary Election Special
• When: 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026
• How to watch: Streamed in full on YouTube and in the attached video player. Live TV coverage starts at 10 p.m. on air and online.
  

The 2026 Minnesota primary is underway Tuesday, as voters head to the polls to cast their ballot in statewide and local elections.

The races will determine candidates for each party for the November general election. 

To see the notable races, find out what else is on your ballot, check if you're registered to vote and to find your polling place, click here.

The U.S. Department of Justice said it would deploy roughly 20 poll observers to different voting locations across the Twin Cities Tuesday, a move they say is typical during recent federal elections.

The department said it utilized the same strategy during the 2020, 2022 and 2024 federal elections. Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, however, said they don't want the observers inside the polling place, so the workers will be standing outside a 100-foot radius, according to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.

A few voters and campaign workers at the Coyle Community Center in Minneapolis said they saw four DOJ poll watchers between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. They stayed outside the 100-foot zone and showed identification to voters they approached, the workers said.

WCCO visited several other polling places, including the Phillips Community Center in Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center High School, the Brooklyn Center Community Center, the Brooklyn Park Community Center and the Family of God Lutheran Church in Brooklyn Park. No one appeared to be a poll watcher at those sites. 

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While you can't predict who will be Wisconsin's next governor, you can almost certainly predict the race will be close. Gov. Tony Evers won in 2022 and 2018 by razor-thin margins of less than 100,000 votes.

Voters like Roy Sjoberg of Hudson, Wisconsin, know their vote matters.

"Getting elected in Wisconsin is a big deal. It's a very tight state," Sjoberg said.

The Republican candidate will likely be Rep. Tom Tiffany, who has the backing of President Trump. The Democratic race, on the other hand, has been less clear. State lawmaker and Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong led pre-primary polls by a wide margin. But some voters, like Sjoberg, worry moderate voters won't feel the same.

"After they call our people socialists, they'll call them communists. I know how it's going to work," he said.

Evers publicly endorsed Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who dropped out and came back just weeks ago. For Democrats, there's a chance at a trifecta on the line, with control of the state House, Senate and governor's seat.

Minnesota election officials have accepted over 206,000 absentee and mail ballots for Tuesday's primary, the most cast before a primary in a nonpresidential election year in the state, according to the secretary of state's office.

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Six states are holding primaries on Tuesday, with the unpredictable Democratic primaries in Wisconsin and Minnesota coming to a close as South Carolina Republicans choose a successor for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's seat. 

In Wisconsin, the democratic socialist Francesca Hong and the more moderate David Crowley are duking it out for the Democratic nomination in the governor's race after two other candidates dropped out of the race. President Trump's ally, Rep. Tom Tiffany, is all but certain to win the GOP nomination.

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State officials are preparing for federal observers at some polling locations.   

Since Ramsey County and Hennepin County both said they don't want the federal observers inside the polling places, they will be outside.

"So, they'll be standing outside the 100-foot zone, and we, working with the Attorney General's Office, plan to have people watching the watchers, just in case. Just in case," Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said during a briefing with top election officials on Monday. "I think that's a reasonable thing to do given the record of the last several months and the very real concerns, and even anxieties, that people have about the Justice Department in particular."

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