Good morning. It was a blue tsunami and Republicans are once again locked out of Minnesota’s top offices.

The DFL ran the table on the state’s top offices, starting with Amy Klobuchar winning the governor’s office. Klobuchar said she will get to work immediately on building out her cabinet and the four legislative caucuses are planning to meet tomorrow in St. Paul to elect their leaders. Klobuchar and Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, also said legislation around affordability would be a first priority for the party’s trifecta in 2027, along with a package of restrictions on firearms. That measure passed the DFL-led Senate this year but failed to pass in the tied House of Representatives. Klouchar also pledged she would sign a gun safety bill, noting that Tuesday was the birthday of Harper Moyski, the girl killed in last year’s shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church. Klobuchar will be the first woman to hold the job in state history.

Peggy Flanagan has made history and joins a now Democratic majority U.S. Senate that will have to work with — not just against — the president. DFL Sen.-elect Flanagan was part of a giant sea change in the makeup of Congress Tuesday, where Democrats took at least 53 Senate seats and ensured a majority in the House — with a few races still uncalled in the early hours of Wednesday. The lieutenant governor made history , becoming Minnesota’s first Native American U.S. senator and the first Indigenous woman to serve in the chamber (Alaska’s Mary Peltola could join her in those honors if she wins). Flanagan beat GOP challenger Michele Tafoya by around 10 percentage points. While Flanagan and others were buoyed by an anti-Trump sentiment in from voters, the challenge ahead will be how to work with or around him. Trump told the Wall Street Journal he will be ready to use his veto power. “I think we’ll work with the Democrats, and we’ll get along very well with them,” he told the Journal. “If we don’t, we’ll be very tough on them, they’ll be very tough on us.” Flanagan campaigned on the need to be a check on the Trump administration. “It is time to end the Trump era of chaos, cruelty, and corruption,” she said. “And friends, it is time for new voices to shake up our party and take back our nation.”  

There will be two new U.S. senators from Minnesota next year. That’s because Amy Klobuchar will give up her seat to assume the governor’s office. When she does that will determine whether she or current Gov. Tim Walz pick a temporary replacement. Ellie Roth runs through the scenarios . But brace for a special election next November to determine who will hold the seat for the last two years of that Senate term. It could be a bruising, expensive race with the eyes of the country on Minnesota yet again. Presidential hopefuls from both parties could feel tugged to come to Minnesota to lend a hand.

The Legislature will be in full DFL control after a closely divided Capitol the past two years. The size of those majorities in the Senate and House is still subject to a few likely recounts. But Democrats gained ground in suburban areas and greater Minnesota. The party defended all but one of its incumbents (although Sen. Rob Kupec’s four-vote loss will head to a recount). Republicans saw several incumbents fall and also lost some open seats. It’s possible the Senate majority will wind up at 39 seats while Democrats might get to 75 or 76 House seats. There will still be tensions as Gov.-elect Amy Klobuchar moves a centrist agenda along and faces pressure from those in her party who want to go further on policy or raise taxes.

Minnesota Republicans ran their strongest candidates for governor and U.S. Senate in years, but will go another election without a statewide win. The GOP hasn’t won a statewide election since 2006. It wasn’t a strong year for Republicans in most states, but many Minnesota Republicans thought a fraud scandal and more centrist candidates at the top of the ballot could have shifted the tide. Downballot Republicans in legislative races look to have suffered as well as the state Capitol returns to full DFL power. In her concession speech, Republican gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth made a call for unity. “My request of all of you is that we work together, and we hold people accountable for the changes and protections that need to happen in this state,” she told supporters at the Minnesota Republican election watch party. 

State officials say voting went smoothly at precincts across the state. Observers from the U.S. Department of Justice were on the ground in Hennepin and Ramsey counties. Monitors with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office were also present with the federal monitors to ensure they complied with state law. Advocates who organized election monitoring say they did not receive any reports of election interference by federal authorities.

This was a record turnout year for a midterm in several respects. There were more than 2.8 million ballots cast. And more than 1 million of those came in ahead of Election Day. The surge in voter enthusiasm was especially apparent in the Twin Cities areas that are Democratic strongholds. Turnout is likely to wind up around 64 or 65 percent of eligible voters. That puts it right up there in the ranks of Minnesota midterm elections.