2026 Minnesota gubernatorial election
The 2026 Minnesota gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Minnesota. Primary elections are scheduled for August 11, 2026. Incumbent two-term Democratic Governor Tim Walz initially ran for a third term in office, but announced in January 2026 that he would drop out of the race. On January 29, 2026, Senator Amy Klobuchar announced she was entering the race.
Democratic–Farmer–Labor primary
Candidates
Declared
- Bill Gates Jr., former pastor
- Amy Klobuchar, U.S. senator
Filed paperwork
- Kobey Layne, community organizer
Potential
- Nick Frentz, state senator
- Kelly Morrison, U.S. representative from Minnesota's 3rd congressional district
- Erin Murphy, majority leader of the Minnesota Senate from the 64th district and candidate for governor in 2018
Withdrawn
- Tim Walz, incumbent governor, Democratic nominee for vice president in 2024, and former U.S. representative from MN-01
Declined
- Angie Craig, U.S. representative from '
- Keith Ellison, attorney general of Minnesota '
- Peggy Flanagan, lieutenant governor of Minnesota '
- Dean Phillips, former U.S. representative from and candidate for president in 2024
- Steve Simon, secretary of state of Minnesota '
- Tina Smith, U.S. senator
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Peggy Bennett, state representative from district 23A
- Lisa Demuth, speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives from district 13A
- Scott Jensen, former state senator from the 47th district and nominee for governor in 2022
- Jeff Johnson, former St. Cloud city councilor
- Patrick Knight, food company CEO
- Brad Kohler, retired mixed martial arts fighter
- John Krhin, pastor
- Mike Lindell, CEO of My Pillow and candidate for RNC chair in 2023
- Phil Parrish, retired Naval intelligence officer, teacher, and school administrator
- Kendall Qualls, healthcare technology executive, nominee for in 2020, and candidate for governor in 2022
- Kristin Robbins, state representative from district 37A
Withdrawn
- Chris Madel, attorney
Declined
- Zach Duckworth, state senator from the 57th district
- Tom Emmer, U.S. representative from and nominee for governor in 2010
- Pete Stauber, U.S. representative from
- Tim Pawlenty, former governor of Minnesota
Independents
Candidates
Declared
- Mike Newcome, entrepreneur and business consultant
- Steve Patterson, Grassroots-LC nominee for governor in 2022
- Calvin Larson Jr., labor union leader
Publicly expressed interest
- Jesse Ventura, former Governor of Minnesota, actor, and retired professional wrestler
General election
Polling
Tim Walz vs. Kendall Qualls| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Tim Walz | Kendall Qualls | Undecided |
| SurveyUSA | September 15–18, 2025 | 568 | ± 4.8% | 50% | 37% | 13% |
Tim Walz vs. Kristin Robbins
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Tim Walz | Kristin Robbins | Undecided |
| SurveyUSA | September 15–18, 2025 | 568 | ± 4.8% | 47% | 40% | 13% |
Tim Walz vs. Phil Parrish
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Tim Walz | Phil Parrish | Undecided |
| SurveyUSA | September 15–18, 2025 | 568 | ± 4.8% | 49% | 38% | 13% |
Tim Walz vs. Scott Jensen
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Tim Walz | Scott Jensen | Undecided |
| SurveyUSA | September 15–18, 2025 | 568 | ± 4.8% | 46% | 41% | 13% |
Tim Walz vs. Generic Republican
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Tim Walz | Generic Republican | Undecided |
| RMG Research | December 10–16, 2025 | 800 | ± 3.5% | 40% | 46% | 14% |