Dakota County 2026 Primary Guide: Who's Running, What You Need To Know

DAKOTA COUNTY, MN — Minnesota's Aug. 11 primary is closing in, and Dakota County voters will find crowded fields at the top of the ballot for U.S. Senate and governor. It's an open primary, meaning voters don't register by party, but they decide at the polls which single party's ballot to take and can't vote for candidates from more than one.

Here's a rundown of what's at stake, based on a sample ballot released by Dakota County. Some legislative and local races vary by precinct within the county and aren't reflected below.

U.S. Senate

With Sen. Tina Smith retiring, the DFL primary is a proxy fight between Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the party-endorsed candidate.

George H Kalberer, Kurt Michael Anderson, Billy Nord and Peter John Murgic round out the DFL field. On the Republican side, former NBC sportscaster Michele Tafoya faces GOP-endorsed Adam Schwarze and former NBA player Royce White, along with Ahmad R. (Raafat) Hassan, Patrick Munro, Joyce Lacey, Tom Weiler, Cynthia Gail and Bob "Again" Carney Jr.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Gov. Tim Walz isn't running again, leaving an open seat. House Speaker Lisa Demuth and Kendall Qualls lead a seven-way Republican field that also includes John Krhin, Ross Nova, Loner Blue, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and Raul J Estrada. On the DFL side, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who left the Senate to run for governor, faces six challengers, including Ole "Viking" Savior, Bill E Gates J.R., Kobey J Layne, Mohammad Wazwaz, Thomas Evenstad and Po Vang.

U.S. House, District 2

In the portion of Dakota County covered by the 2nd Congressional District, Republican Eric Pratt is unopposed. Six Democrats are competing for the DFL nomination: Matt Little, Kaela Berg, Christopher Mosel, Abdi Abdulle, Matthew D. Klein and Hugh McTavish.

State Senate, District 65

Rocco is unopposed on the Republican side. Robyn Gulley and Natasha Bennett are competing for the DFL nomination. In the State House 65B race, DFL candidates Elena Mena and Sebastian Ellefson are on the ballot, with no Republican filed.

Down-ballot races

Secretary of State Steve Simon is unopposed in the DFL primary, while Tad Jude and Wendy Phillips face off for the Republican nomination. Zack Filipovich is unopposed for state auditor on the DFL side, with Will Finn, Nate George and Scott Jensen competing in the Republican primary. Attorney General Keith Ellison faces DFL primary opponent David J.S. Madgett, while Ronald J. Schutz is unopposed on the Republican side.

For a precinct-specific ballot, voters can use the Minnesota Secretary of State's sample ballot lookup at sos.mn.gov.