© 2026

For assistance accessing the Online Public File for KAXE or KBXE, please contact: Steve Neu, IT Engineer, at 800-662-5799.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Today is Primary Election Day in Minnesota. Here's who's on the ballot

A sign directs voters on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, at Zion Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids. Those who participated weighed in on a three-question referendum posed by the Grand Rapids School District.
Contributed
/
Lorie Shaull
A sign directs voters on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, at Zion Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids. Those who participated weighed in on a three-question referendum posed by the Grand Rapids School District.

Thursday night's presidential debate might have some wishing the 2024 elections were over, but in Minnesota, it's just getting started.

Early absentee voting started Friday, June 28, for the state's Aug. 13 primary. Any voter in Minnesota can vote early in person or by mail through Aug. 12.

In partisan races, more than one candidate per party triggers a primary. In nonpartisan races, the number of candidates must be more than double the number of seats for a primary to occur; the primary will narrow the number of candidates to two per seat.

Primaries are possible in all federal, state and county offices. Only some cities and school districts have primaries.

Filings for municipalities and school districts without primaries open July 30.

The following is a list of races that will appear on primary ballots in Northern Minnesota compiled by KAXE News, per the Secretary of State's 2024 candidate filings database.

Not sure which districts you're in? Visit the Minnesota Legislature's Who Represents Me? tool or your local county elections office.

Don't see an office you know is up for election? It may be uncontested. Check out our full list of candidate filings.

Report an error or omission by emailing news@kaxe.org.

Have a question? Ask KAXE! We're committed to keeping Northern Minnesotans at the center of our news and information. Click here to send your question and learn more.

Table of Contents

Federal and State

U.S. Senator

7th Congressional District

8th Congressional District

House District 6B

House District 7B

House District 10A

6th Judicial District

Cities

Bemidji

Chisholm

Mountain Iron

Virginia

Counties

Becker County

Beltrami County

Carlton County

Cass County

Clearwater County

Cook County

Crow Wing County

Kittson County

Norman County

Townships

Port Hope

Shamrock

Federal offices

U.S. Senator

  • Democrats: Steve Carlson, Ahmad R. Hassan, George H. Kalberer, Amy Klobuchar (incumbent, party endorsed), Ole Savior
  • Republicans: John Berman, Loner Blue, Joe Fraser, Alycia R. Gruenhager, Patrick D. Munro, Raymond D. Petersen, Christopher Seymore Sr., Royce White (party endorsed)

7th Congressional District

  • Republicans: Steve Boyd, Michelle Fischbach (incumbent)

8th Congressional District

  • Democrats: John Munter, Jen Schultz (party endorsed)
  • Republicans: Pete Stauber (incumbent, party endorsed), Harry R. Welty

State offices

House District 6B

  • Republicans: Josh Heintzeman (incumbent), Matthew Eric Zinda

House District 7B

  • Republicans: Matt Matasich, Cal Warwas (party endorsed)

House District 10A

  • Republicans: Ron Kresha (incumbent), Diane Webb-Skillings

6th Judicial District

  • Judge Bench 6: Gunnar B. Johnson, Peter Raukar, Shawn Reed, John B. Schulte, Gerald Wallace
More from KAXE
Red Lake Chairman denies resignation; Early Voting begins
Plus: National Weather Service provides winter outlook.
Red Lake chairman says he isn't resigning, contradicting Tribal Council member's post
Chairman Darrell Seki Sr. said Oct. 16, 2026, he is not retiring or stepping down after shocking allegations came to light in Red Lake Nation’s child welfare program.
Unusually warm El Niño winter could still bring MN severe cold, storms
The 2026-27 winter is likely to see the strongest El Niño since the 1950s, but its day-to-day impacts are yet to be determined.
Essay: Prepping your relationships for election night
In this contributed essay, Majority in the Middle Executive Director Shannon Watson explores political divides, after the election season.
Are you cold hardy? How plants protect themselves from the winter chill
Charlie Mitchell listens to Sandhill Cranes, ponders Bald Eagle courtship, and learns about cold hardiness in plants.Send us a voice memo through SpeakPipe!
Backus beekeeping farm will remain abuzz with beginning farmer grant
Bee’n Happy Farms is among the awardees of a Minnesota Department of Agriculture grant that helps beginner farming businesses grow.
MDH urges vaccination amid measles outbreaks; MN State approves fund-sharing plan
Plus: Brainerd Schools working on bullying action plan after independent review; and Google ditches tax abatement in Hermantown.
Google drops request for tax relief from Hermantown data center proposal
The proposed data center in Hermantown would pay over $240 million over the next 20 years. The City Council will consider some project agreements on Oct. 26, 2026.
More cases expected amid measles outbreaks in Todd, Fillmore counties
The Minnesota Department of Health is encouraging people to get vaccinated to prevent measles, which is highly contagious and can create serious health complications, including death.
Klobuchar, Demuth have school plans, but neither addresses funding challenges
Funding for public schools comprises nearly 40% of the state budget and is the single biggest line item. It accounts for about two-thirds of all spending on public schools in Minnesota.

County offices

Becker County

  • Commissioner District 3: Phil Hansen, Henry "Hank" Ludtke, Terry L. Mackner
  • Commissioner District 4: Jason Dale Bristlin, Donald Skarie, Richard Vareberg (incumbent)
  • Commissioner District 5: Jack Heisler, Barry Nelson (incumbent), Dave E. Shaw

Beltrami County

  • Commissioner District 4: Frank Duresky, Tim Sumner (incumbent), John Wilson Winnett

Carlton County

  • Commissioner District 5: Neil Dickenson, Alex French, John Peura, Dan Reed, Jason Syrett, Chad Walsh

Cass County

  • Commissioner District 3: Karen Goodenough, Rusty Lilyquist, Jim Qualley

Clearwater County

  • Commissioner District 2: Adam Broden, Carl McCollum, James O'Bryan, Bryan Ramsrud, Greg Scherzer
  • Commissioner District 4: Bruce Emmel, Corey Petterson, Juleigh Prosser

Crow Wing County

  • Commissioner District 5: Doug Houge (incumbent), Johnna Johnson, Jamie Lee

Kittson County

  • Commissioner District 2: Paul Dziengel, Theresia Gillie (incumbent), Waylin Olson
  • Commissioner District 4: Allison Frislie, Derry Jones, Corrine "Missy" Karboviak, Leon Olson (incumbent)

Norman County

  • Commissioner District 1: Randal Gorder, Sarah Green, Timothy Oistad
  • Commissioner District 5: Darren Andersen, Gregory Crader, Nicole Nogowski, John Rosenberger

City offices

Bemidji

  • Mayor: Daniel Jourdain, Jorge Prince (incumbent), Adam Steele
  • Council Ward 3: Katie Carter, Mark Dickinson, Greg Kuhn
  • Council Ward 5: Bill Batchelder, Lynn Eaton (incumbent), Michael Meehlhause

Chisholm

  • Council (elect three): Audry M. Bailey, Brandan Fiedler, Seraphia Gravelle, Marty Halverson (incumbent), Cheyenne Mikkola-Rahja (incumbent), Travis Vake (incumbent), James Varda

Mountain Iron

  • Council (elect two): Daniel L. Gunderson, Bradley Gustafson, Kristina Hawkins, Joe Prebeg Jr. (incumbent), Edmund "Ed" Roskoski (incumbent)

Virginia

  • Council (elect three): Ricky Angellar, Annie Bachschneider, David S. Hansen, Steven B. Johnson (incumbent), Julieanne Paulsen (incumbent), Rodney Salo, Jared Siebert

Township offices

Port Hope Township

  • Special Election for Town Supervisor Seat A: Ashley Stevens (incumbent)
  • Special Election for Town Supervisor Seat B: Steve Schaubhut (incumbent)
  • Special Election for Town Supervisor Seat C: James C. Adams (incumbent)
  • Special Election for Town Clerk: Amanda Kerkhoff

Shamrock Township

  • Special Election for Town Supervisor Seat D: Bruce W. Johnson
  • Special Election for Town Supervisor Seat E: Brock Hayes, Greg Neumann
Creative Commons License
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to slightly shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.