Minnesota voters set up a historic general election Tuesday, guaranteeing the state will elect its first woman governor after Sen. Amy Klobuchar and House Speaker Lisa Demuth won their parties’ primaries.
Klobuchar won the DFL nomination in a landslide over several lesser-known Democratic challengers. The race became a Democratic priority after Gov. Tim Walz announced in January he would not seek a third term amid scrutiny over a state fraud scandal. Klobuchar, in her fourth U.S. Senate term, is now the first woman to lead the DFL’s ticket for governor.
“I will stand my ground for Minnesota and I will be accountable to Minnesota,” Klobuchar said at her election night event in Minnetonka.
On the Republican side, Demuth defeated Trump-endorsed candidate Mike Lindell and Army veteran Kendall Qualls, taking roughly 44% of the vote to Lindell’s 31% and Qualls’ 21%. Demuth becomes the first woman nominated for governor by the Minnesota GOP and the first Black woman nominated for the office by either major party in state history.
“Minnesota finally gets to have their first female governor. It’s time,” Demuth said Tuesday night.
The milestone extends to Minnesota’s other marquee race. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan defeated U.S. Rep. Angie Craig for the DFL’s U.S. Senate nomination by a wide margin, taking about 59% of the vote to Craig’s 40%. Former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya won the Republican nomination with nearly 52% of the vote, defeating Adam Schwarze and Royce White in a larger field. With both nominees women, Minnesota is also guaranteed to send a woman to Washington to succeed retiring Sen. Tina Smith.
In the secretary of state race, Republican Tad Jude defeated Wendy Phillips for the GOP nomination by a roughly 61% to 39% margin. Jude, a former state legislator and district court judge, will face three-term incumbent Secretary of State Steve Simon, who ran unopposed for the DFL nomination.
Down the ballot, U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar won renomination in the 5th Congressional District with more than 80% of the vote, while Republican John Nagel won his party’s nomination in the same district with roughly 52%. In the 3rd Congressional District, Republican Tyler Bass won his party’s nomination over Quentin Wittrock.
Minnesota has elected women to the U.S. Senate and other statewide offices before, but never governor. The state joins 33 others that have had a woman governor, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, which counts a record 14 women currently serving as governors nationwide.
This is a developing story, and final vote totals are expected to be certified in the coming days.
