At 06:00 CET, Lisa Demuth led Amy Klobuchar in the Minnesota governor's race by 32,901 votes, 50.4 to 47.8 percent with 42.6 percent of the expected vote counted, according to NBC News, based
NBC News, based on AP data, projects Amy Klobuchar as the winner of the Minnesota governor's race against Lisa Demuth. At 06:06 CET the count stood at 56.2 to 41.9 percent with 70.6 percent counted. The result is a first either way: the winner will be Minnesota's first female governor. Tim Walz withdrew from the race in January, Senator Amy Klobuchar stepped in, and Republicans have not won the governorship since 2006. In the Senate race, NBC News projects Peggy Flanagan as the winner over Michele Tafoya, 54.4 to 42.9 percent with 71 percent counted. For crypto, the state stands out for one name: Representative Tom Emmer, who drew more direct support from crypto and AI companies than any other Minnesota candidate.
Minnesota election results 2026: the key facts
Minnesota closed its polls at 03:00 CET. We estimate about 779,000 votes are still out, most of them in Ramsey, Scott, St. Louis. County reporting moves unevenly, and rural counties can come in well before Hennepin and Ramsey, so an early lead says little until the Twin Cities have reported.
Source: AP via NBC News, own estimate
Hennepin County, home to Minneapolis, went from D+42.4 in the 2024 presidential race to D+49.0 now, with 92 percent counted. Ramsey County, home to St. Paul, went from D+43.1 in the 2024 presidential race to D+48.4 now, with 16 percent counted. Dakota County, in the southern suburbs, went from D+12.8 in the 2024 presidential race to D+21.1 now, with 95 percent counted. Anoka County, in the northern suburbs, went from R+4.4 in the 2024 presidential race to D+5.9 now, with 88 percent counted. Across the larger areas with at least half of the count in, the margin moved 7.5 points toward Democrats on average. These figures compare a partial governor's count with a full presidential count, so the final swing can still change in either direction.
County Trump vs Harris 2024 Demuth vs Klobuchar 2026 Counted Hennepin D+42.4 D+49.0 92 % Dakota D+12.8 D+21.1 95 % Anoka R+4.4 D+5.9 88 % Washington D+8.9 D+17.0 82 % Stearns R+26.7 R+19.4 93 % Wright R+29.2 R+22.3 84 % Carver R+5.4 R+1.4 90 % St. Louis D+13.7 D+23.0 47 %
Source: AP via NBC News, 2024 results via NBC News
Klobuchar won the Democratic nomination with 89.7 percent after Walz left the race. Demuth, the Republican speaker of the state House, took her primary with 43.4 percent, beating Mike Lindell, the businessman Trump had endorsed, and Kendall Qualls, the state party's pick. If she wins, she also becomes the state's first Black governor. A Klobuchar win would open a second Senate seat for Minnesota to fill.
Democrat Tina Smith is not seeking another term, which makes this the first Minnesota Senate race without an incumbent since 2006. Republicans have not won one since 2002. Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan beat Representative Angie Craig in the Democratic primary with 59 percent. Michele Tafoya, a former journalist, took the Republican nomination with 52.1 percent.
The primary is where crypto money met its limit. Tech Influence Watch, formerly Follow the Crypto, lists $192,600 in direct support for Craig from Coinbase, Andreessen Horowitz, Kalshi and 17 other companies or their executives. She lost to Flanagan, whom the advocacy group Stand With Crypto rates F, with no rating shown for Tafoya.
The biggest recipient is in the House. Tom Emmer drew $1,310,487 in direct support from Winklevoss Capital Management, Andreessen Horowitz, Phil Potter and 22 other companies or their executives, plus $152,682 from Defend American Jobs, a committee in the Fairshake network. The same committee spent $152,226 for Michelle Fischbach in District 7. In the Senate, Klobuchar is one of the Democrats who did not support the CLARITY Act when it failed 49 to 50 on 15 September, a vote with no Democratic yes. Where the bill goes next is in our CLARITY Act explainer.
Republicans went into the night with 53 seats, so Democrats need a net gain of four for the majority, and losing Minnesota would raise that number to five. NBC News projects Democrats to control the Senate, with 52 seats for Democrats and 40 for Republicans at 06:06 CET. All calls and the full Senate table are in our midterm results live ticker. More from the states: Michigan and its crypto ETF stake, Wisconsin's governor race and crypto's $50 million bet against Sherrod Brown.
With the race called, the prediction market has little left to price. The open question for traders is the balance of power in Washington. If you hold coins through a week like this, compare regulated crypto exchanges and crypto brokers first. This article is not investment advice.
