Quick Read
The drive to Minnesota’s midterm election closes out with party bus swings and door-by-door persuasion. Minnesota voters will elect a governor, U.S. senator, state and federal lawmakers and more.
While caustic ads infiltrate every kind of screen, Minnesota’s political parties and candidates went for a personal touch over the weekend in their bid to turn out voters. Democratic and Republican bus tours will rumble forward Monday, featuring candidates making their closing arguments.
Along the way, they’ve highlighted themes that have been central throughout the campaign: affordability and fraud. They’ve also called for a change — for Republicans, that change should be in St. Paul, while Democrats say the shift should come in Washington.
Hundreds packed a carpenters union hall in St. Paul to rally with DFL candidates ahead of a door knock Sunday afternoon. Two-term Attorney General Keith Ellison took the stage to rally volunteers, opening with a “What’s up, team?”
Many in the room had already voted — as have at least 729,000, according to stats out last week. Ellison implored the crowd to focus on those who haven’t cast ballots.
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“There’s still a lot of Minnesotans that did not get out there to vote, and you know what they’re doing? They’re waiting on you,” said Ellison, who is in a pitched race with Republican attorney Ron Schutz.
Several millions of dollars have gone into TV ads, but Ellison said the face-to-face appeals could matter.
“They’re waiting on you to knock on their door. They’re waiting on you to text them. They’re waiting on you to call them,” he said.
Republican governor nominee Lisa Demuth speaks with supporters in Hastings Saturday as part of a state-wide bus tour, which included several statewide candidates. The tour was part of a final push to get voters to the polls before Tuesday’s election.
Peter Cox | MPR News
A day earlier in Hastings, Schutz walked in front of a podium and, speaking with the crowd directly, riled up the Republicans in the room by saying he’d come down hard on fraudsters.
“I can tell you that as tiring as this can be sometimes, it is so uplifting for us and energizing for us to be here and feed off your energy,” Schutz said, telling the “troops on the ground” that now’s not the time to let up. “We are going to leave nothing, nothing on the field.”
Schutz was part of a roving band of candidates that has also included Senate nominee Michele Tafoya, governor nominee Lisa Demuth, lieutenant governor candidate Ryan Wilson, secretary of state nominee Tad Jude, auditor candidate Scott Jensen and others running close to the places on the stops.
Likewise, the DFL ticket has linked up for the closing push. They include Secretary of State Steve Simon, lieutenant governor candidate Ben Schierer, auditor candidate Zack Filipovich and other legislative and congressional figures.
From left to right Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan, along with former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg raise their hands after rallying DFLers to vote on Sunday in St. Paul.
Dana Ferguson | MPR News
At the union hall, DFL governor nominee Amy Klobuchar and Senate nominee Peggy Flanagan echoed Ellison’s call for action.
“We are in the fourth quarter, and we know how to win in the fourth quarter in Minnesota with the DFL,” Klobuchar said. “We do not stop. We bring people with us.”
And they hit on the party’s driving theme this year: Everything seems expensive, and blame, they said, rests with President Donald Trump and his allies.
Flanagan told the crowd that sending her to Washington would provide a check on Trump.
“We can absolutely win back the United States Senate, and we will. And we will send a message to Donald Trump that we are not powerless in the face of this administration. In fact, we are quite powerful,” Flanagan said. “Do not ever underestimate the people of Minnesota, because we’re going to ensure he’s going to lose for a fourth time, and the people of Minnesota are going to win once again.”
Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was there, too. He’s sizing up a possible run for president but said that can wait. These elections, he said, are about preserving rights for future generations.
“I want to be able to tell them: Yes, back in the 2020s, we saw things had gone too far, and we turned them around. And the day that it started to turn toward that better future that you now enjoy came in the fall of 2026, that November day when we got the right kind of leadership,” Buttigieg said. “Who’s ready to be part of that?”
GOP lieutenant governor candidate Ryan Wilson gets off a bus in Hasting Saturday. The bus drove Republican candidates around the state as part of a statewide get out to vote tour.
Peter Cox | MPR News
Inside the Hastings hotel where the busload of GOP candidates pulled up, a few dozen cheering supporters greeted them with signs and waved the former Minnesota state flag.
State Sen. Eric Pratt, the Republican nominee in the 2nd Congressional District, aimed to fire up the crowd.
“We can’t let up now,” Pratt said. “And you being here shows that we are going to take this all the way through Nov. 3 and all the way to a victory!”
Demuth, who leads the state office ticket, declared it time for a reset in St. Paul. Democrats have held the governor’s office for four terms now.
“Minnesota matters too much to me to give up on it. We are on a trajectory that is not sustainable,” she said. “You have seen Democrat control turn us into a state that is almost unrecognizable.”
After the quick rally, the politicians and supporters went outside, where the candidates snapped selfies with voters. Then the entire group bunched together for a photo — and a cheer.
Election Day is Tuesday, but early voting locations are open on Monday.
