The rating
Lean Democrat
Rated Lean Democrat by Cook Political Report on Oct 20, 2026.
| Forecaster | Rating | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report (opens in a new tab) | Lean D | Oct 20, 2026 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean D | Latest |
Who is running
Michele Tafoya
Republican Open seat
Peggy Flanagan
Democrat Open seat
The facts
- Cook moved Minnesota from Likely Democratic to Leans Democratic in a recent update.
- Smith is retiring.
Opinion
Why this race matters to conservatives
A second Democratic seat where Republicans have an opening.
This box is the opinion of RightNewsRightNow. The rest of this page is reporting, with sources listed below.
Where these facts come from
- Cook Political ReportCurrent rating, as of Oct 20, 2026Read it (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia (election pages, with their cited sources)Candidate and race factsRead it (opens in a new tab)