Overview
- DFL delegates in Rochester endorsed U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar for governor and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for the open U.S. Senate seat in votes held over the weekend, giving both campaigns formal party backing.
- Republican delegates in Duluth endorsed Adam Schwarze for U.S. Senate and after multiple ballots backed Kendall Qualls for governor, and they gave unanimous consent to Ron Schutz for attorney general and endorsed Nate George for state auditor.
- Several prominent candidates will bypass or challenge convention outcomes and go to the primary, with Rep. Angie Craig already skipping the DFL process and Michele Tafoya saying she will continue to the GOP primary.
- The GOP convention was marred by problems with handheld electronic voting clickers that delegates and candidates said produced inconsistent results, prompting objections from Lisa Demuth and others and raising questions about the endorsement vote process.
- All endorsements now shift focus to the statewide primary on Aug. 11, where broader electorates—not just activists—will pick nominees and where both parties seek paths to the November general in a state Republicans have not won statewide since 2006.