Not only did the state see more than a million Primary Election voters for the first time, marking a new record for turnout, but Minnesota makes history for having all women at the top of the ticket. U.S. Senate Candidates Democrat Peggy Flanagan and Republican Michele Tafoya along with governor hopefuls GOP Lisa Demuth and DFL Amy Klobuchar are all formidable female forces leading the way. The group includes a U.S. Senator, Lt. Gov., House Speaker and NFL Reporter. It’s a star-studded lineup, something we’ve never seen before. Watch the video above the see the past connections to Flanagan and Tafoya that no other reporter has. Here’s the link to the Almanac archive story as promised of Flanagan and I visiting our high school.
More on the high-mark according to the Secretary of State:
More than 1,103,000 Minnesotans cast ballots on August 11 - about 25% of eligible voters in Minnesota, according to unofficial election results. This is the first time more than 1 million votes have been cast in a Primary. The previous high was set in 2018 with 925,554 ballots cast. Additional historical election statistics are available online.
“Minnesotans value democracy and they’ve proved it once again by showing up to vote in record numbers,” said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon. “My call to Minnesotans now is to make their plan to vote on November 3 so we can once again lead the nation in voter turnout.”
Election results will be reviewed and certified by counties over the next week and will be presented to the State Canvassing Board on August 18, 2026.
