The Local: Minnesota election watch

11.2.2026

Cityscape combining distinctive landmarks from Minneapolis and St. Paul.

	By Jay Gabler

In the winds off Lake Superior, gulls can perform a neat trick: They seem to hover suspended in the air, wings barely moving, riding the currents and giving no indication of whether they’ll rise up or dive.

This year’s Minnesota political landscape has felt similarly suspended. Winds of discontent with the rising cost of living under President Trump blow one way, while gusts of frustration with fraud under Gov. Tim Walz’s watch blow the other.

By tomorrow night, we’ll know which way the wind blew in races across the state (and country). Today, Shadi outlines five things we’ll be watching on Election Day, and I’ve got ideas for local eats to keep you nourished while the results roll in.

But first, here are a few of today’s top local stories not connected to the midterms:

The City Council in Hermantown, a Duluth suburb, unanimously voted late Friday to grant a key permit for authorization of a Google data center despite community protests. The Duluth News Tribune has a report and photos.
Is college enrollment about to fall off a demographic cliff? Experts told The Minnesota Star Tribune that our colleges and universities in our state are better positioned than many to weather a decline in the population of young people.
7 Brew just opened its 10th location in Minnesota and plans dozens more by 2030. Bring Me The News calls the national chain’s expansion “polarizing” — what do the long lines of eager customers portend for locally-owned shops?

If you like The Local, why not tell your neighbors? Forward this to a friend, who can sign up here to get it delivered to their inbox.

5 things to watch on Election Day

A Minnesota flag flies with the sun behind it

An October 17 “No Kings” rally in downtown Minneapolis encouraged people to vote early ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Ben Brewer for The New York Times

	By Shadi Bushra

1. First female governor: Minnesota is currently one of 17 states that have never had a woman in charge. That’s about to change, regardless of whether Republican Lisa Demuth or Democrat Amy Klobuchar comes out on top tomorrow. Tennessee also has two female candidates facing off, so the number of states with only male governors should soon drop to 15.

2. Turnout: Minnesotans are rightfully proud of the state’s high voter turnout rate. On Friday, we learned that 729,000 early ballots had been cast in the state, more than in any other midterm. Will that momentum continue?

3. Election monitors: The shadow of Metro Surge looms large as local election officials and voting rights activists worry about federal election interference. Secretary of State Steve Simon has said that the No. 1 question he gets these days is some version of “What do we do if there’s ICE at the polling place?” Hennepin and Ramsey counties were notified last month that the Justice Department would send election monitors. Local officials say these monitors will not be allowed inside polling places, though they may talk to voters outside. The Justice Department sent “approximately 20 staff from the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section and Minnesota’s U.S. attorney’s office” to monitor the August primaries in the Twin Cities without incident.

4. State Attorney General: Incumbent Keith Ellison won his last race, in 2022, by a single percentage point, underperforming compared to Walz and other Democrats. Both sides are pouring money into the race this year, including nearly $12 million by outside political groups. This race could be a barometer for Minnesota Republicans’ messaging on fraud, the issue which Ron Schutz, a trial lawyer trying to unseat Ellison, has homed in on.

5. Congress: The marquee Minnesota race is for the seat of retiring Sen. Tina Smith, between Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Michele Tafoya, a Republican making her first run for public office. I’ll also be watching District 1 to see if Republican incumbent Rep. Brad Finstad will hold on to his seat or if Jake Johnson, a math teacher, rides economic concerns to become a red district Democrat.

YOUR TIMES

Illustration shows people looking at large U.S. map and data visualizations.

Rose Wong

Reminder. Our coverage of the midterm elections is absolutely free in the Times app. Download it now and get started reading our in-depth reporting, explainers, poll trackers and more.

More than 100 Times reporters in 30 states are covering the election. Here’s how we do it and what to expect as votes are counted on election night. You can follow it all live here and see our latest polling here.
When will we know the results? Polls in Minnesota close at 8 p.m., but control of the U.S. House and Senate won’t be clear until Wednesday at the earliest.
Need a break from politics? Try our focus challenge, where you’ll spend 10 uninterrupted minutes looking at a single piece of art. This is “Above the Clouds I,” painted in the 1960s by Georgia O’Keeffe.

ORDER IN

It’s Jay again. With so many competitive races, Tuesday night might be a long one. Here are a few takeout suggestions, depending on what your vibe is.

Exterior view of Carbone's Pizza in evening, with people dining inside as a car drives past.

Jay Gabler/The New York Times

If you need comfort food, Carbone’s has the thin-crust, square-cut “Minnesota style” pizza. The chain has locations across the Twin Cities; my family’s go-to has always been the independently run Carbone’s on Randolph Avenue in St. Paul. (Pizza is an election-day staple for journalists; our New York newsroom has ordered 125 pies — and salad! — from Joe’s for tomorrow’s lunch.)
If you’re nervously nibbling, Bussin Birria Tacos will send you home with “A Sheet Ton of Beef Nachos” featuring the local chain’s signature birria. There are locations in Uptown and at the Mall of America.
If you want a drink, Bevvie has the dirty soda of your dreams. It’s located in Woodbury, with a Stadium Village location on the way. (Oh, you want that kind of drink? Our Cooking colleagues have you covered.)
If you need a treat, Mooni Mooni can whisk you away to the “cloud-soft” world of Japanese cheesecake. You’ll find it in Edina, of course.
If you just want to pretend you’re not even in this country, drop the needle on The Cranberries or Fontaines D.C. as you scarf an order from The Anchor Fish & Chips in Northeast Minneapolis.

SPORTS

	By Talya Minsberg

Well, we always thought that the Vikings offensive woes would eventually catch up with them. That’s what happened yesterday, when the team lost to the Detroit Lions, 19-15.

The defeat comes after weeks of befuddlement among football analysts. How had the Vikings remained undefeated with such an abysmal offensive ranking? Were the Vikings the “worst” 6-0 team in N.F.L. history?

Many credit the team’s early-season success to the defense, which had led the league in success against the run entering Sunday’s game.

A football player in a white jersey next to two teammates rushing the ball past three football players in purple.

Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions plows past Eric Wilson of the Vikings. Paul Sancya/Associated Press

For more than three quarters yesterday, the team’s defense “went toe to toe with the Lions’ offense, one of the best in the N.F.L.,” our colleagues write in The Athletic. The wheels came off because the defense couldn’t get off the field.

It feels telling that the Strib published the headline: “True or false: When it comes to men’s pro sports, Minnesota is cursed” just one day before the Vikings fell.

“I think the state has tremendous pride in our suffering,” YouTuber Chris Parr said.

Also: Minnesota Distance Elite runners Joel Reichow, Merga Gemeda and Mohammed Bati all finished in the top 25 at the New York City Marathon; locals Annie Frisbie and Caillie Hughes were among the top 25 women. Reichow, who was the top American in last year’s race, was the seventh U.S. finisher yesterday.

WEATHER

People in rain gear, one carrying an umbrella, cross the Stone Arch Bridge.

The Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis at 11:21 a.m. on Monday. Shadi Bushra/The New York Times

We’ll see the rain tapering off this afternoon after a wet Monday morning. Expect winds and clouds to continue through tomorrow, and the temperature to drop starting Wednesday.

OPE! JUST ONE MORE THING

Geraldine Ferraro and Walter Mondale stand arm-in-arm, waving from behind a lectern at the Minnesota State Capitol.

Geraldine Ferraro and Walter Mondale at the Minnesota State Capitol on July 12, 1984, when Mondale announced his choice of Ferraro as his running mate. Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

As Shadi mentioned above, Minnesota will elect our first female governor tomorrow, barring some difficult-to-imagine third-party surprise. This brings to mind 1984, when our own Walter F. Mondale made history by selecting Geraldine A. Ferraro as his running mate, the first time a major party nominated a woman for national office.

How many years did it take before another woman appeared on a national ticket? Click your guess to see if you’re right; the answer appears in a New York Times story that is free to readers of The Local.

Thanks for taking a break with us this afternoon!

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Feedback? Questions? We’d love to hear from you: thelocalTC@nytimes.com

Hosts: Shadi Bushra, Jay Gabler

Editor: Hanna Ingber

Staff Editor: Talya Minsberg

Illustrations: Peter Steineck

Photo Editor: Clinton Cargill

Strategy: Katherine Chang

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