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Published November 4, 2026 5:03 PM CST
Minnesota DFL wins House, Senate to secure trifecta
Minnesota Democrats secured a governing trifecta after winning control of the state House and Senate while retaining the governor's office. FOX 9 political analyst Blois Olson breaks down what the results mean for Minnesota.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota DFL has kept their majority in the state's Senate after the 2026 midterms, but some races will go to a recount.
QUICK LINKS: Minnesota election results | How Minnesota counties voted | Wisconsin election results | U.S. election news
Democrats retain control of Minnesota Senate
All 67 Minnesota Senate seats were on the ballot for full, four-year terms. As of Wednesday, the DFL had secured 39 seats, defending the narrow 34-33 margin they held entering the election and retaining majority control. The DFL flipped six seats, while the GOP flipped one, although several close state Senate races may go to a recount.
Find election results below.
RELATED: Minnesota Democrats secure trifecta by winning Senate, House and governor races
Minnesota Senate races going to recounts
Minnesota Senate District 4 - Detroit Lakes area
The race for Minnesota Senate District 4 in the Detroit Lakes area, is headed for a publicly funded recount. Republican Austin Peterson leads Democrat Rep. Rob Kupec, garnering 49.95% of the vote to Kupec's 49.94%, as of Wednesday. Only 4 votes separate Peterson and Kupec, a 0.01% difference, which would allow for a candidate to request a publicly-funded recount. Kupec was first elected in 2022, beating Republican Bohmer with 52.5% of the vote to Bohmer's 46.8%.
RELATED: Election recounts in Minnesota - How do they work and who pays for them?
Minnesota Senate District 33 – Stillwater area
A 42 vote difference and a .08% vote difference. This is also headed for a publicly-funded recount because state legislative offices need less than one-half of 1% of the total number of votes counted for that office to go to a recount.
In 2022, Housley fended off a challenge from Democrat Nancy McLean, garnering 52.8% of the vote to McLean's 47.2%.
Close Minnesota Senate races
Minnesota Senate District 24, which covers the Rochester and Kasson area, was an open contest this year, with Democrat Simon Glaser narrowly edging out Republican Nels Pierson with 50.77% of the vote to Pierson's 49.13%. The 679-vote margin of victory is wide enough that a recount would only occur unless the losing candidate — Pierson — requests one and pays for it.
The seat was held by Republican Rep. Carla Nelson.
In Minnesota Senate District 48, which includes the Chanhassen and Waconia area, incumbent Republican Rep. Julia Coleman is leading Democrat Dan Kessler, with just 981 votes separating the two. The race will not go to a recount unless Kessler requests one.
Coleman beat Kessler in 2022 with 54.3% of the vote to Kessler's 45.6%.
All Minnesota Senate election results
Below is a roundup of all the election results for the Minnesota Senate.
- Minnesota Senate Districts 1-10
- Minnesota Senate Districts 11-20
- Minnesota Senate Districts 21-30
- Minnesota Senate Districts 31-40
- Minnesota Senate Districts 41-50
- Minnesota Senate Districts 51-60
- Minnesota Senate Districts 61-67
RELATED: Minnesota State House election results
The Source: Information in this story comes from The Associated Press' election results, the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office and previous FOX 9 reporting.
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