Minnesota Democrats appeared to see strong turnout during Tuesday night's caucuses while the state's Republicans tried to find separation in a crowded field of candidates for governor.
WCCO Radio political analyst Blois Olson says the DFL is more energized now than it was even just a few weeks ago.
"Democrats say that they had about 30,000 people turn out, that it was quote, 'historic,' that there was one precinct area in Eagan that had 75% of first-timers," Olson describes.
As for Republicans, their turn out will be somewhere under 15,000, according to Olson.
House Speaker Lisa Demuth led a crowded field of GOP gubernatorial candidates. Just over 70% of the precincts have reported results.
“Thank you to the thousands of grassroots conservatives who came out to caucus tonight and delivered an excellent result for our campaign — this is just the first step in the process, but tonight shows that momentum is behind the Demuth-Wilson ticket," Demuth announced in a statement.
Local businessman Kendall Qualls finished second, and MyPillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell, who President Donald Trump has endorsed in the race, finished a distant third. Dr. Scott Jensen, the 2022 opponent of Gov. Tim Walz who is not running for a third term, was fourth but significantly behind the other three.
"But the biggest point there is that Demuth has more cash and Qualls has had kind of a burn rate on cash that might not be sustainable," Olson adds. "So they're gonna definitely have a very contentious and competitive convention, which we saw four years ago as well."
U.S. Senate Race
The other major statewide race in Minnesota is for the U.S. Senate seat currently belonging to Tina Smith, who announced she is not running in 2026.
There's a number of GOP candidates, but a head-to-head matchup on the DFL side is shaping up to be a tight one between Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan.
Olson says there are a couple of key difference between the two candidates.
Flanagan and the more progressive Democrats in the state have been going after Craig for her vote supporting the Laken Riley Act. It's federal statute that requires the detention, without bond, of non-citizens who are arrested for, charged with, or admit to committing certain crimes, including theft, burglary, larceny, shoplifting, assault on a law enforcement officer, or any crime resulting in death or serious bodily injury, such as drunk driving.
The bill was introduced following the murder of Laken Riley by an undocumented immigrant who had previously been cited for shoplifting on the campus of the University of Georgia.
"I mean, the Laken Riley Act is definitely a point that Peggy Flanagan is trying to use todifferentiate herself with Angie Craig. I think that's one issue that in this time is giving Peggy Flanagan an issue against Angie Craig," says Olson. "It'll be interesting to see how delegates shape up, what kind of battle there is for the endorsement."
The other difference is simply money, with Craig having a large advantage over Flanagan.
"I think we've thought from the beginning that Peggy Flanagan would get the endorsement, but you and I have talked a lot about, in a Senate race statewide, resources will matter," Olson says. "And Angie Craig has a more than three to one, four to one advantage on Peggy Flanagan for money. So that primary, which is the first week of August, will likely be where we'll find the winner in that race."
Republicans in the race include former broadcaster Michele Tafoya, former basketball star and opponent for Sen. Amy Klobuchar in 2024 Royce White, 20-year U.S. Navy veteran Tom Weiler, former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze, and former GOP Chair David Hann.