ST. PAUL, MN — Control of the Minnesota Legislature could come down to a few thousand votes spread across a handful of districts on Tuesday.
All 201 legislative seats are on the ballot, but only a small number are seen as genuine toss-ups. The House is tied 67-67 heading into the election, and Democrats hold the Senate by a single seat. A party needs 68 seats for an outright House majority and 34 for control of the Senate.
Patch picked the 10 races below based on past margins, campaign spending and battleground analyses from both parties and nonpartisan observers.
Results update automatically once polls close at 8 p.m. Tuesday, using unofficial returns from the Minnesota Secretary of State. Patch does not call races, and results are not final until the state canvass.
Refresh this page for the latest results.
The most expensive legislative race in Minnesota is a rematch across a sprawling northeastern district that includes the Iron Range and the Duluth suburbs. DFL Sen. Grant Hauschild of Hermantown beat Babbitt Mayor Andrea Zupancich, a Republican, by just 703 votes in 2022. Spending in the race passed $1 million by late September, most of it from groups trying to unseat Hauschild.
Inside that same Senate district, Republican Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar is defending a seat she has won twice by razor-thin margins: 33 votes in 2022 and 159 votes in 2024. She faces Democrat Aaron Schweiger, a business owner. Kamala Harris carried the district by about 4 points in 2024.
In the Moorhead area, DFL Sen. Rob Kupec faces Republican Austin Peterson, an entrepreneur. Kupec won the seat by 1,727 votes in 2022. Outside groups and Republicans had spent more than $717,000 opposing him as of mid-September.
DFL Sen. Aric Putnam is trying to hold a St. Cloud-area seat in a district that backed Donald Trump in 2024. His challenger is Republican Rep. Bernie Perryman. Republicans are focusing heavily on Putnam, along with fellow DFL senators Hauschild, Kupec and Judy Seeberger.
With DFL Rep. Dan Wolgamott leaving after an unsuccessful run for state auditor, this St. Cloud seat is open. Republican Sue Ek, who lost to Wolgamott by 191 votes in 2024, is running again. She faces DFLer Zach Dorholt, a former legislator.
The Mankato-area district has flipped back and forth between the parties in recent cycles and is often ranked among the swingiest in the state. First-term Republican Rep. Erica Schwartz faces Democrat Leah Hanson, a social worker.
Democrats see longtime GOP Sen. Jim Abeler as one of their best pickup chances. Abeler, who represents Anoka, Andover and Coon Rapids, won in 2022 by just 186 votes, and both House seats in the district are now held by Democrats. He faces school principal Angela Nelson.
The retirement of Republican Sen. Warren Limmer, who has represented the Maple Grove area for nearly four decades, opened a seat in a district Harris won in 2024. Democrat Kirsty Janigo, a Maple Grove City Council member, faces Republican Brady Hoag, who works in executive search. Party and outside spending neared $700,000 by late September.
Another rematch in the east metro pits DFL Sen. Judy Seeberger against Republican Rep. Tom Dippel in a district covering parts of Cottage Grove, Hastings and Lake Elmo. Seeberger won by 321 votes in 2022. Republicans view a Dippel win as a possible path to the Senate majority.
No race in Minnesota was closer two years ago. DFL Rep. Brad Tabke beat Republican Aaron Paul, a police officer, by 14 votes in 2024 after a contest that ended up in court. The two are facing off again in the Shakopee-area district.
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