Politics Friday: Thousands attend Minnesota caucuses to weigh in on issues, governor candidates

Tens of thousands of voters across Minnesota convened at schools, community centers and other gathering places to pick their preferred candidates for governor.

They also vented their concerns on immigration, fraud and other priorities for the state’s major political parties.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst recaps the results from caucus night and where campaign 2026 goes from here.

House Speaker Lisa Demuth finished atop the GOP straw poll and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar cemented her place as the DFL Party’s frontrunner for governor. Both declined to come on the show, either taped or live, to discuss the results.

But Kendall Qualls, whose second place showing improved on his first run for governor, is a guest. Independent candidate Mike Newcome, who could be a November factor, also joins the show.

Later, political analysis from caucus results and the broader electoral landscape, and we’ll hear from the voters themselves.

Guests:

Kendall Qualls is an Army veteran, think tank founder and a Republican candidate running for Minnesota’s 2026 governor’s race. Mike Newcome is a business owner and a Forward Independence Party candidate for governor. Todd Rapp is the president and CEO at Rapp Strategies and a veteran DFL strategist. Preya Samsundar is a GOP political analyst and a campaign consultant.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation or subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.