Legislative Session Ends – Focus Shifts to November Election
by Sam Richie, AASPMN Lobbyist
Now that the 2026 legislative session is in the rearview mirror, legislators are looking toward the 2026 election.
All 201 seats in the Minnesota Senate and House of Representatives are up for reelection, along with all four constitutional offices – including the governor – and one of the state’s two seats in the U.S. Senate. With the significant number of retirements in the legislature, as well as legislative candidates running for other offices, the 2027 legislature will look vastly different from 2026.
The legislature in both the House of Representatives and the Senate is seeing a large number of retirements headed into the November election. Along with the retirements, others are running for different political offices and are stepping down from representing their current districts. New faces and the nearly evenly divide of the current legislature, along with the ever-shifting national political discourse, make it difficult to predict what the legislature will look like come January, but we will be tracking these races and highlighting some of the more higher profile districts leading up to the election.
Minnesota Political News & Updates
As we move past the 2026 legislative session and toward the 2026 elections, the political landscape continues to evolve as individuals announce retirements, new political endeavors or endorsements. The following are a few developments since lawmakers wrapped their work in St. Paul:
• Republican State Convention – Republican activists and delegates gathered in Duluth to endorse a slate of five candidates for statewide office this November. Despite issues with the electronic voting machines that caused both delay and controversy, a candidate reached the 60 percent threshold to receive the party’s endorsement in each race.
In the most high-profile contest, businessman Kendall Qualls won the endorsement in the race for governor, beating Minnesota Speaker of the House Rep. Lisa Demuth and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. Lindell had previously announced plans to run in the August primary, following voting issues that resulted in Republican Chairman Alex Plechash “releasing” candidates from their pledges to abide by the endorsement, it is rumored that others, including Speaker Demuth, may elect to continue their campaigns as well.
The Republican convention also endorsed veteran Adam Schwarze for U.S. Senate, although broadcaster Michelle Tafoya plans to also run in the August primary. The Republicans also endorsed Tad Jude for Secretary of State, Ron Schutz for Attorney General, and Nate George for State Auditor.
• Democratic Farmer-Labor (DFL) Endorsing Convention – At the same time, Democrats held their endorsing convention in Rochester with roughly 1,200 delegates gathering to endorse statewide candidates in all five races on the ballot this fall. While the endorsement of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar for governor came as no shock, many insiders were surprised when she announced that former Fergus Falls mayor, Ben Schierer, will join her on the ticket as the DFL candidate for lieutenant governor. The announcement surprised many as Schierer had been a leading candidate for state auditor and was believed by many to have a strong chance of winning the DFL endorsement in that race.
In the other constitutional offices, the DFL endorsed Zack Filipovich, a former Duluth city councilor and certified management accountant (CMA). Incumbent Secretary of State Steve Simon and Attorney General Keith Ellison were also endorsed.
The DFL delegates also endorsed Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retirement of Sen. Tina Smith. Flanagan was generally the favorite for the endorsement over U.S. Rep Angie Craig (MN-2), but the path was made easier when Craig announced just prior to the DFL convention that she would not seek the endorsement but would instead head straight to the August primary.
Election season promises to be a busy time in Minnesota, we will keep you updated on how races could impact AASPMN’s legislative agenda for next session throughout the rest of the year leading up to November.
Want more? Check out the July 2026 issue of AASP-MN News!