Pronto Pups. Crop Art. The Tilt-A-Whirl. Grandstand shows. Long lines. A birthing barn. You know exactly what we're talking about when you see those things. It's Minnesota State Fair time, and yes, it's known for many things. But, as traditional as things like foot long hotdogs, anything you can eat being shoved on a stick and giant slides can be, don't forget about another tradition: political candidates.
As August becomes September in Minnesota, and the State Fair marks a kind-of end to summer, it also comes nearly every year with a bevy of politicians seeking your vote. That's as true in 2026 as it has ever been, with major races for governor and U.S. Senate taking center stage.
WCCO Radio Political Analysis Blois Olson sat down with some legends to talk about their memories of the State Fair, and watching candidates rise and fall in popularity while cheese curds and the Mighty Midway lurk in the distance.
Two years ago, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (DFL) was riding high, hearing fairgoers change "Walz" as the Vice Presidential candidate, running with Kamala Harris. That ultimately didn't pan out for Walz-Harris, with President Donald Trump winning his second trip to the White House.
Walz came back to Minnesota to finish his second, and final, term as governor, and in 2025 he stopped at the fair in a much different fashion than 2024, explained former WCCO Radio political reporter and host of Almanac on Twin Cities Public Television, Eric Eskola.
"He had Secret Service protection and overbearing aides, and Washington consultants," Eskola recalls. "And it was really a lot of hubbub."
John McCormick is a political reporter with the Wall Street Journal, and has been going to the fair for some 55 years as a reporter, each year finding it both entertaining and news-worthy. That was especially true two years ago with Walz running for VP, and visiting his home state fair.
"He was like on the cusp of being the Vice President of the United States, potentially," McCormick told Olson on the WCCO Radio State Fair Porch. "And snipers are on the roof of the Dairy Building, which you don't usually see at the fair very often."
As for that "other" state fair, McCormick said that he's found Minnesota candidates more polite than those in the south of us, in Iowa.
The politics aren't just local, either. Going way back, at a state fair that dates originally from 1859, one of the most famous sayings in American political history took place right there in Falcon Heights. “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far," is a sentence or phrase you've surely heard. It was uttered by one of the nation's most famous Presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, while he was still serving as President William McKinley's Vice President in 1901.
Speaking at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, Roosevelt used the line to describe a foreign policy style combining peaceful, careful diplomacy with the underlying threat of powerful military strength. Just four days after the address, President McKinley was assassinated, and Roosevelt took office as the 26th U.S. President, permanently tying the "Big Stick" philosophy to his administration.
Eskola says another memorable, but more recent, fair included watching then candidate Jesse Ventura on the fairgrounds, and the long lines of fans ready to meet the not-so-traditional politician when he ran for governor in 1998. He ended up defeating Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Skip Humphrey for the state's highest office, a race occurrence for an independent candidate in a major race.
"To me, that indicated something's going on, and I think that's the most memorable," Eskola says.
But it wasn't the only moment he says stands out.
"But you've got Rudy Boschwitz and the super duper Milkhouse," Eskola remembers.
The Republican Boschwitz, who served in both the U.S. Senate and as the state's governor, was well known in Minnesota for operating a "flavored milk" booth at the Minnesota State Fair. He used it as a political outreach tool, often serving them for very cheap, or even free. The milk was mixed with various flavored syrups—such as root beer, cherry, banana, raspberry, and amaretto.
Another example of the Minnesota State Fair, a fixture of Minnesota's political history.
