Voters in Minnesota will elect one member to the U.S. Senate in the general election on Nov. 3, 2026. Incumbent Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), who first assumed office in 2018, announced that she would not seek re-election in 2026.

As of April 28, 2025, noteworthy declared and potential candidates included the following. Click here to view all of the candidates for the seat.

• Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D), who assumed office in 2019 (Declared)
• Former state Sen. Melisa Franzen (D), who represented District 49 in the state Senate from 2013 to 2023 and served as the chamber’s minority leader from 2021 to 2023 (Declared)
• U.S. Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), who has represented Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District since 2019 (Declared)
• State Rep. Melissa Hortman (D), who has represented District 34B in the state House since 2005 and currently serves as the chamber’s minority leader (Potential)
• Royce White (R), former NBA player and Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2024 (Declared)
• State Sen. Julia Coleman (R), who has represented District 48 in the state Senate since 2021 (Potential)
• State Rep. Kristin Robbins (R), who has represented District 37A in the state House since 2019 (Potential)

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.) gained media attention as possible Democratic candidates but have all said they will not run for the seat. Speaker of the state House Lisa Demuth (R), former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) gained media attention as possible Republican candidates but have all said they will not run for the seat.

Minnesota’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives includes four Democrats and four Republicans. Minnesota’s two U.S. senators—Smith and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)—are Democrats. The state’s most recent Republican senator was Norm Coleman(R), who served from 2003 to 2009.

In the six presidential elections from 2004 to 2024, Democratic presidential candidates won the state’s popular vote. In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden (D) won 52% of the vote to Donald Trump‘s (R) 45%. In 2024, Kamala Harris (D) won 51% of the state’s popular vote to Trump’s 47%.

Minnesota has a divided government where neither party holds a trifecta. Democrats control the governorship and the state Senate. Control of the state House is split between parties.

The Cook Political Report’s Jessica Taylor wrote, “While Republicans haven’t won a Senate race here since 2002, and haven’t won a statewide election since 2006, the state has shifted a bit toward the GOP over the past three presidential elections.”

As of April 28, 2025, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball each rated the general election Lean Democratic, while Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales rated it Battleground Democratic. Click here for more information on race forecasts.

To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.