Caucus and Straw Poll Results
On February 3, 2026, Minnesota’s major political parties held precinct caucuses, officially kicking off the 2026 election calendar. These local community meetings bring together thousands of Minnesotans to discuss major political and policy issues going into the November election and to vote in a straw poll for the upcoming governor’s race.
As the only high-profile Democrat in the field, Sen. Amy Klobuchar secured a comfortable 79% of the vote in the DFL straw poll, with 16% of caucus attendees voting “undecided,” and the rest either abstaining or voting for others. On the Republican side, Speaker of the House Rep. Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) and businessman Kendall Qualls were the top two vote getters in the large slate of candidates. Demuth led the poll with 32% of the vote, Qualls received 25.4%, and in third place was MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell with 17%.
While much of the attention was on the gubernatorial straw polls, the caucuses kicked off the campaign season for all 2026 candidates, including an open U.S. Senate seat, all eight seats in Congress, four state constitutional offices, and all 201 seats in the Minnesota State Legislature. Candidates now proceed through a series of local, district, and state conventions in pursuit of their party’s endorsement in advance of the statewide primary election on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
Jensen Drops out of Governor’ Race; Announces New Plan
This morning, former State Senator and 2022 Republican nominee for governor, Dr. Scott Jensen announced that he was dropping his bid for governor and instead announcing his candidacy for State Auditor. He joins a Republican field that already includes state Rep. Elliot Engen (R-Lino Lakes) and Nate George, the Director of Licensing & Investigations for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. The Democratic field features state Rep. Dan Wolgamott (DFL-St. Cloud), former Duluth City Councilor Zack Filipovich, the former mayor of Fergus Falls Ben Schierer, the mayor of Tonka Bay Adam Jennings. Last September, two term State Auditor Julie Blaha announced that she would not be seeking reelection.
Congress Facing Possible Shutdown
Funding for the Department of Homeland Security expires on Friday, and this deadline collides with the weeklong Presidents Day recess. As is typical ahead of a shutdown deadline, lawmakers are signaling that the recess could be canceled, overseas congressional delegation travel curtailed, and both chambers kept in session through the weekend.
The House and Senate return this evening, giving lawmakers only a few days to resolve an unusual and high-stakes situation. While only one federal agency faces a potential shutdown, DHS is a massive department with more than 260,000 employees, making the consequences significant.
President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement agenda and ICE’s role in carrying it out are at the center of the impasse. Democratic leaders have proposed changes to ICE policies and procedures, but there is little indication that the White House or Republican leadership is willing to accept them. Democrats formally shared legislative text with Republicans on Sunday.
At this point, passage of a bipartisan agreement to fund DHS through September 30 by Friday appears highly unlikely. The more immediate question is whether enough Senate Democrats will support another short-term DHS funding extension and what happens if they do not. Democratic votes would only materialize if negotiators make sufficient progress to justify another temporary patch. While staff-level discussions continued over the weekend, Republican leadership’s dismissal of the Democratic proposal has cast doubt on that outcome.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune could begin procedural steps as early as today on a legislative vehicle for a short-term DHS continuing resolution. However, avoiding a shutdown would require unanimous consent in the Senate to hold a vote before Thursday evening, when several senators are scheduled to depart for the Munich Security Conference and other international travel.
Republicans are expected to argue throughout the week that ICE funding is already addressed under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and that a DHS funding lapse would instead impact agencies such as FEMA, TSA, and the U.S. Coast Guard. As of late Sunday, House Republicans had no plans to bring a new short-term DHS funding bill to the floor and will maintain that the House has already acted, placing responsibility on Senate Democrats.
SAVE America Act
House Republican leadership also plans to bring the SAVE America Act to the floor this week. The bill would require proof of U.S. citizenship for voting in federal elections through REAL ID-compliant identification or passports and would require states to remove undocumented immigrants from voter rolls. The legislation is championed by Representatives Chip Roy of Texas and Anna Paulina Luna of Florida.
Despite claims from Republicans, there is little evidence that undocumented immigrants voting has affected federal election outcomes. The bill has no viable path forward in the Senate, where Democrats view recent rhetoric and Justice Department actions related to voter rolls as potential federal overreach tied to election outcomes. As a result, the legislation is expected to fail to overcome a Senate filibuster.
House leadership will consider the bill under a rule, allowing passage with a simple majority. A previous version passed the House in April 2025 with four Democratic votes
Other House Action
The House will also consider the bipartisan Housing for the 21st Century Act, sponsored by House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill of Arkansas. The bill will be considered under suspension of the rules and is expected to pass with broad bipartisan support.
Two lower-profile items are also scheduled. One bill would authorize a $2.50 coin to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States. Another would establish a time capsule to be buried in the Capitol Visitor Center, containing letters from House and Senate leadership, to be opened by the 244th Congress on July 4, 2276.
Larkin Hoffman Public Affairs will continue to closely monitor congressional developments related to DHS funding and other legislative activity and will keep you updated as the situation evolves.
