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With the 2026 general election six months away, the race for governor is wide open following Tim Walz’s decision not to seek a third term.

The Democrats have a clear frontrunner in longtime U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, who won 72% of the DFL caucus straw poll showing strong party support. While there are a few other candidates running for the endorsement, none are close to Klobuchar in fundraising, name recognition or institutional backing.

The Republican field is more unsettled with no clear frontrunner but rather a handful of candidates, including Lisa Demuth, who is the House Speaker and the closest thing to a frontrunner; Kendall Qualls, who is a business executive and ran in a statewide race in 2022; and Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, who has name recognition but is found to be somewhat polarizing. 

The GOP and DFL state conventions will be held one week apart at the end of May and beginning of June to select each party’s officially endorsed gubernatorial candidate. Subsequently, all candidates can determine if they will abide by the endorsement of their party or move forward to the primary, which will be held on August 11. Once the dust settles after the primary, the elected candidate from each party will go on the ballot for the general election in November.

2026 Legislative Session

The legislature adjourns on May 18, and with split government being the name of the game, movement on major bills has been slow with heavy reliance on bipartisan deals being the key to any progress. The major issues still in play are fraud and oversight; public safety related to gun policy; securing emergency gap coverage for Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) and North Memorial; addressing the impacts of Metro Surge; and a bonding bill. However, the realities of it being a non-budget year lower the pressure and reduce urgency and leverage in negotiations. Expectations are low of anything significant being accomplished unless legislative leaders can strike a deal.

Legislative Retirements

The conclusion of the legislative session will come with a significant wave of legislative retirements, resulting in significant changes to the legislative landscape in the future. View a full updated list of retirements in 2026.