Minnesota experienced turmoil in many ways during recent months. Operation Metro Surge sparked widespread protests in January 2026, the Annunciation Catholic School shooting in August 2025 reignited debates over gun violence and widespread fraud allegations raised concerns over elected officials’ leadership.
With these issues and others on the forefront of Minnesotans’ minds, here is a breakdown of who will be on the ballot this Nov. 3 and what they hope to address.
Minnesota Governor:
Lisa Demuth, R-Minn., has been a state representative in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2018 and later became the first Black Minnesota Speaker of the House in 2025. Her policy sought to address the state’s fraud problem while in office.
Demuth’s priorities as governor would focus on lowering the cost of living, eliminating fraud, removing energy limitations and improving education, according to her website. She is proposing to cut $150 million in property taxes to improve affordability, fire deputy commissioners and replace them with fraud experts, remove race and gender-based ideologies from classrooms and invest in violent crime enforcement teams.
Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., has been a U.S. senator representing Minnesota since 2007, becoming the first woman to do so. While on Capitol Hill, she passed policies addressing human trafficking, prescription drug prices and the opioid epidemic.
Klobuchar’s main campaign priorities are lowering the cost of living, eliminating fraud, conserving wildlife and expanding job opportunities, according to her website. She is proposing to build around 100,000 new homes, bulk purchase prescription drugs to lower their costs, modernize technology to detect fraud early, invest $4 billion in protecting natural resources and strengthen career-matching programs to ease Minnesotans’ job search.
Steve Young is a Green Party candidate and a corporate lawyer. He supports single-payer healthcare, guaranteed basic income and sanctions against the state of Israel, according to the Minnesota Green Party. His policy proposals include creating sustainable jobs, protecting immigrants and advancing public infrastructure, according to his website.
U.S. Senator:
Peggy Flanagan, D-Minn., has been Minnesota’s lieutenant governor since 2019 and is currently the nation’s highest-ranking Native American woman in an executive position. Her policies have protected abortion rights and gender-affirming care, established paid leave for workers, lowered prescription drug prices and helped legalize cannabis.
Flanagan’s campaign priorities focus on ending corruption at the federal level, supporting workers’ rights, reforming the immigration system and protecting the environment, according to her website. Her proposed policies include banning corporate donations from elections, requiring a $17-dollar minimum wage, creating an easier pathway to citizenship and applying wind and solar energy solutions.
Michele Tafoya, R-Minn., was a TV sports journalist for around 30 years, covering a total of 327 NFL games as a sideline reporter.
Tafoya’s campaign priorities include ending state-level fraud, investing in law enforcement, enacting harsher penalties for criminals, cutting costs for the middle class and bringing back “common sense,” according to her website. Her proposed policies include convicting and deporting undocumented immigrants, lowering taxes, supporting traditional energy sources and prohibiting transgender women from participating in women’s sports.
Independent candidate Marisa Simonetti is a mother and housing advocate who supports protecting farmers, improving funding for education, implementing environmental protections and lowering healthcare costs, according to her website.
Rebecca Whiting is a Libertarian candidate and Army veteran. She supports ending wars abroad and reducing government regulation of the free-market economy, according to her website.
U.S. Representative (4th District):
Betty McCollum, D-St. Paul, is the incumbent for Minnesota’s 4th Congressional District in the House of Representatives. She was first elected to the position in 2000, becoming the second Minnesota woman to serve in Congress. She supports environmental protections, universal healthcare, quality education and infrastructure improvements, according to her website.
Paul Wikstrom, R-St. Paul, is a former engineer for Minnesota aerospace and medical technology companies. He is running to unseat McCollum in the 4th District. He supports ending fraud through mandatory audits of federal spending, cutting taxes and investing in domestic manufacturing, according to his website.
Referendums:
Increasing funding to school districts: This amendment to the Minnesota Constitution would increase the annual distribution of the Permanent School Fund to school districts from 2.5% to 4.5%, or from around $68 to $101 per pupil, according to the Minnesota Permanent School Fund Constitutional Amendment website.
Established in 1858, the PSF uses timber and mining revenue to invest in public schools. This bipartisan amendment would not increase Minnesotans’ taxes or change the state budget. Leaving this question blank will result in a “no” vote.
Creating Chapter 34A of the Saint Paul Legislative Code: This local ordinance would require landlords to fix a broken item or schedule a repair within 14 days of receiving a written complaint from their tenant. If the landlord fails to address the issue, the tenant would be allowed to withhold either 50% of their rent or $500, whichever is higher, to spend on the replacement, according to the Pioneer Press.
The ordinance has been tied in back-and-forth legal conflict after originally being rejected from the ballot by the St. Paul city council, according to the Pioneer Press. The conflict eventually reached the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which heard oral arguments Monday, Oct. 12. Unless the court rules against the ordinance, it will remain on the ballot. Early voters have already received ballots that include the question.
St. Paul residents will be able to vote at McNeely Hall on St. Thomas’ campus from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. Attached is a sample of what will appear on the ballot on Election Day. For any other voting questions, click here.
Emily Kratz can be reached at krat1542@stthomas.edu.
Thu Vu can be reached at vu005129@stthomas.edu.
