The 2026 United States Senate election in Minnesota will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Minnesota, concurrently with other elections to the U.S. Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and other state and local elections. Primary elections will be held on August 11, 2026. Incumbent Democratic Senator Tina Smith is not seeking reelection to a second full term. Smith was elected to her first full term with 48.74% of the vote in 2020 after winning a special election in 2018 to complete the term of former Senator Al Franken, who resigned amid sexual harassment controversies.
This will be the first U.S. Senate election in Minnesota without an incumbent since 2006.
Minnesota is considered a blue state at the federal and state levels. Kamala Harris won it by four percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, and the last time a Republican won a statewide race was in 2006. The most recent Senate election, in 2024, saw DFL incumbent Amy Klobuchar defeat Republican Royce White by nearly 16 points. The most recent election for this seat, held in 2020, saw Smith defeat Republican nominee Jason Lewis by five points.
Democrats control all statewide offices, both U.S. Senate seats, and the minimum majority in the Minnesota Senate, while the Minnesota House of Representatives and the U.S. House delegation are both evenly split.
Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman was reportedly considering running for the seat before her assassination in June 2025.
The Democratic primary election between progressive Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and moderate U.S. Representative Angie Craig is widely seen as a part of the national struggle between the Democratic Party's progressive and moderate factions since the 2024 U.S. elections, with endorsements split by ideology. Flanagan has rejected accepting donations from corporate PACs or AIPAC while Craig has defended accepting them. Newsweek called the primary contest an "ideological proxy fight between Bernie Sanders-style progressivism and Bill Clinton-esque 'Third Way' centrism".
Craig reportedly has the private backing of the Democratic Senate leadership, including Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), but they have not endorsed her.
In November 2025, Center Forward Committee, a centrist super PAC, spent $630,000 on online and mail ads supporting Craig.
Flanagan and Craig condemned the killing of Renée Good by an ICE agent amid Trump's mass deportation campaign. Flanagan said she supports a "complete and total overhaul" of ICE and criticized Craig for being "politically expedient" and voting for the Laken Riley Act and a resolution expressing gratitude to ICE agents. Craig said she stood by her votes and that "Flanagan ... is twisting this and trying to create some sort of political advantage ... that is disgusting". Flanagan has since expressed support for dismantling ICE and replacing it. Craig has called that stance extreme and said it will push away independents.
Italics indicate a withdrawn candidate.
Angie Craig vs. Michele Tafoya
Peggy Flanagan vs. Michele Tafoya
Angie Craig vs. Generic Republican
Peggy Flanagan vs. Generic Republican
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