Key Points: Minnesota Primary 2026 Live Results
- Minnesota primary 2026 live results confirm Peggy Flanagan as the DFL Senate nominee
- Flanagan defeated Rep. Angie Craig decisively, 58.8% to 39.7%
- Republican Michele Tafoya won her own primary, setting up November’s matchup
- A second historic race saw Lisa Demuth win the GOP nomination for governor
Minnesota Democrats settled one of their most closely watched intra-party fights Tuesday night, and the progressive wing walked away with a clear, commanding victory.
Minnesota Primary 2026 Live Results For Senate
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won the Democratic primary for Minnesota’s open US Senate seat, NBC News projected, defeating Rep. Angie Craig by a wide margin.
Here’s the final math behind that win. With 80% of votes counted, Flanagan had secured 58.8% support, well ahead of Craig’s 39.7%.
That decisive result caps a race Newsweek had earlier described as an “ideological proxy fight” between Bernie Sanders-style progressivism and more centrist, establishment Democratic politics.
Flanagan carried real institutional weight into election night too. She’d secured the DFL Party’s official convention endorsement back in May, along with backing from Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
Craig countered with her own heavyweight support, drawing endorsements from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
What Flanagan’s Win Means Historically
Here’s a detail giving this race genuine historical weight beyond typical primary math. If elected in November, Flanagan would become the first Native American woman ever to serve in the US Senate.
Craig conceded gracefully once results became clear, offering what she called her “full and complete support” to Flanagan heading into the general election.
“We have an existential crisis in our nation with Trump and Republicans,” Craig said during an earlier debate, emphasizing party unity over personal ambition regardless of the primary’s outcome.
The Republican Side Of This Race
Here’s how Minnesota Republicans settled their own Senate primary the same night. Former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya won the GOP nomination, defeating Adam Schwarze, Royce Lewis, and several other candidates.
Interestingly, Trump didn’t formally endorse in this Republican primary, though Tafoya secured support from National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott, who viewed her as the party’s strongest general election contender.
Tafoya positions herself as more moderate than her primary rivals, notably supporting abortion access in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, a stance that sets up genuine ideological contrast against Flanagan this fall.
Other Key Results From Tuesday’s Ballot
Minnesota’s governor race also produced a notable Republican result. House Speaker Lisa Demuth won her party’s gubernatorial primary, according to CBS News projections, setting up a competitive open-seat race after Gov. Tim Walz chose not to seek reelection.
With both parties now settled on their Senate nominees, Minnesota heads toward a genuinely competitive November matchup between Flanagan’s progressive coalition and Tafoya’s more moderate Republican positioning.