United States / Minnesota / Gubernatorial Election
2026 Minnesota gubernatorial Republican primary
Minnesota polling average: Lindell (R) 32.4% — Demuth (R) 27.2% — Lindell (R) +5.2Also: Qualls (R) 16.3%Pollytic average to 6 Aug 2026: recent, larger polls weigh more; no institute counts more than once.
Election date
Held on
Results
99% reporting ·
| Candidate | Votes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa DemuthProjected winnerRepublican Party | 179,759 | 43.0% | |
| Mike LindellRepublican Party | 134,366 | 32.2% | |
| Kendall QuallsRepublican Party | 88,486 | 21.2% | |
| John KrhinRepublican Party | 5,786 | 1.4% | |
| Ross NovaRepublican Party | 3,786 | 0.9% | |
| Raul J EstradaRepublican Party | 3,058 | 0.7% | |
| Loner BlueRepublican Party | 2,287 | 0.6% |
| County | Leader | Lead | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hennepin | Demuth | +25.3 | 55,565 |
| Dakota | Demuth | +22.6 | 29,508 |
| Anoka | Demuth | +12.7 | 28,854 |
| Ramsey | Demuth | +25.2 | 19,797 |
| Washington | Demuth | +20.6 | 19,598 |
| Stearns | Demuth | +35.6 | 16,323 |
| Wright | Demuth | +14.0 | 13,672 |
| St. Louis | Lindell | +3.6 | 12,656 |
| Scott | Demuth | +17.8 | 12,412 |
| Olmsted | Demuth | +5.5 | 12,079 |
All 87 counties
| County | Leader | Lead | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carver | Demuth | +16.9 | 10,290 |
| Sherburne | Demuth | +6.0 | 9,224 |
| Crow Wing | Demuth | +8.1 | 8,070 |
| Blue Earth | Demuth | +4.3 | 7,580 |
| Otter Tail | Lindell | +5.6 | 6,854 |
| Morrison | Demuth | +7.1 | 5,669 |
| Chisago | Lindell | +1.0 | 5,572 |
| Isanti | Lindell | +10.9 | 5,078 |
| Itasca | Lindell | +5.5 | 5,005 |
| Rice | Lindell | +0.7 | 4,864 |
| Douglas | Demuth | +8.5 | 4,805 |
| Goodhue | Demuth | +5.2 | 4,512 |
| Cass | Demuth | +1.5 | 4,381 |
| Kandiyohi | Demuth | +16.5 | 4,196 |
| Benton | Demuth | +12.8 | 4,116 |
| Becker | Lindell | +21.8 | 3,797 |
| Pine | Lindell | +1.2 | 3,420 |
| Winona | Lindell | +6.0 | 3,351 |
| McLeod | Demuth | +4.3 | 3,306 |
| Le Sueur | Demuth | +6.7 | 3,245 |
| Steele | Demuth | +0.9 | 3,189 |
| Beltrami | Lindell | +1.6 | 3,162 |
| Todd | Lindell | +4.8 | 3,116 |
| Carlton | Lindell | +6.7 | 2,993 |
| Clay | Lindell | +6.2 | 2,821 |
| Mille Lacs | Lindell | +13.0 | 2,788 |
| Brown | Demuth | +19.2 | 2,668 |
| Aitkin | Demuth | +3.1 | 2,629 |
| Meeker | Demuth | +18.8 | 2,605 |
| Hubbard | Lindell | +6.8 | 2,547 |
| Nicollet | Demuth | +15.0 | 2,454 |
| Freeborn | Lindell | +8.7 | 2,397 |
| Lyon | Demuth | +13.3 | 2,364 |
| Faribault | Lindell | +4.1 | 2,337 |
| Wabasha | Lindell | +3.1 | 2,331 |
| Mower | Lindell | +8.0 | 2,315 |
| Polk | Lindell | +9.8 | 2,314 |
| Wadena | Lindell | +6.7 | 2,255 |
| Sibley | Demuth | +4.2 | 2,217 |
| Fillmore | Lindell | +11.5 | 1,939 |
| Martin | Qualls | +1.9 | 1,900 |
| Dodge | Lindell | +15.6 | 1,868 |
| Kanabec | Lindell | +11.1 | 1,673 |
| Waseca | Lindell | +6.1 | 1,586 |
| Redwood | Demuth | +2.1 | 1,580 |
| Pipestone | Lindell | +2.5 | 1,549 |
| Roseau | Lindell | +10.5 | 1,529 |
| Houston | Lindell | +5.2 | 1,516 |
| Koochiching | Lindell | +4.4 | 1,364 |
| Nobles | Demuth | +4.6 | 1,359 |
| Clearwater | Lindell | +20.3 | 1,351 |
| Pope | Demuth | +5.8 | 1,298 |
| Renville | Lindell | +1.5 | 1,226 |
| Yellow Medicine | Demuth | +0.4 | 1,104 |
| Marshall | Lindell | +10.8 | 1,091 |
| Jackson | Qualls | +0.3 | 1,083 |
| Lake | Lindell | +17.2 | 1,083 |
| Chippewa | Demuth | +1.8 | 1,074 |
| Swift | Demuth | +4.3 | 1,023 |
| Rock | Demuth | +5.6 | 1,015 |
| Murray | Demuth | +4.8 | 1,009 |
| Watonwan | Demuth | +1.2 | 923 |
| Cottonwood | Demuth | +0.0 | 920 |
| Stevens | Demuth | +11.2 | 904 |
| Pennington | Lindell | +19.2 | 849 |
| Lac Qui Parle | Lindell | +2.1 | 760 |
| Grant | Demuth | +6.5 | 712 |
| Norman | Lindell | +11.6 | 646 |
| Lake of the Woods | Lindell | +10.8 | 584 |
| Big Stone | Demuth | +0.0 | 560 |
| Kittson | Lindell | +2.5 | 521 |
| Cook | Lindell | +2.0 | 503 |
| Wilkin | Lindell | +8.1 | 495 |
| Lincoln | Lindell | +3.4 | 473 |
| Red Lake | Lindell | +7.5 | 402 |
| Mahnomen | Lindell | +11.5 | 384 |
| Traverse | Demuth | +1.6 | 371 |
How the count progressed
Updated
Polls vs result
The last polling average before the vote () against the actual result.
- Mean absolute error
- 7.0 pts
- Error on the winner’s margin
- −16.1 pts
| Candidate | Average | Result | Error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demuth (R) | 27.2% | 43.0% | −15.8 |
| Lindell (R) | 32.4% | 32.2% | +0.2 |
| Qualls (R) | 16.3% | 21.2% | −4.9 |
| Republican | — | 0.6% | — |
Error = average − result, in percentage points. A dash means the party or candidate was missing from the average or the result; it is left out of both errors.
Polling trend
The average of recent polls. Newer polls and more accurate pollsters count more. How it’s calculated
Latest polls
Each poll as published, with its pollster, fieldwork dates, sample size and a link to the source.
How to read a poll
- Sample size is how many people were asked. More people means less random error, never none.
- ±3 is the margin of error: the real figure is likely within 3 points either way of the one shown.
- Two polls can differ because they were taken on different dates, with different methods and different samples.
- est. means the institute did not publish a margin of error, so it is estimated from the sample size.
- The average smooths this out: it combines recent polls, so one unusual poll cannot swing the picture.
What the polls say
Lindell (R) leads the polling average in Minnesota on 32.4%, 5.2 points ahead of Demuth (R) (27.2%). The biggest shift over the past month is Lindell (R), up 5.9 points.
4 polls from 4 institutes were published in the last 30 days of polling. The most recent is from KTSP/SurveyUSA, published 6 Aug 2026. The average gives recent and larger polls more weight and counts no institute more than once; read how it works.
Candidates
Who is standing, in order of the polling average, then the result.
- Mike LindellRepublican
- Lisa DemuthRepublican
- Kendall QuallsRepublican
Government
Who governs Minnesota now.
Tim Walz
Governor of Minnesota