Non-Scientific,
Way-Too-Early
Straw PollTM

Results are in! The three candidates with the most votes are (in alphabetical order):

 

Thank you to all the candidates who participated in the Fall Republican Governors Forum!

(left to right) Kendall Qualls, Phillip Parrish, Kristin Robbins, Patrick Knight, Brad Kohler, *Scott Jenson proxy Paul Wikstrom, Jeff Johnson
Tom Hauser, KSTP-TV Chief Political Reporter, and Kathleen Fowke, Minnesota Senate District 45 Republicans Chair

We are trying something new for this year’s Fall Governor Candidate Forum. We hope it works out even better than we’ve planned. Below is a summary of key information about the latest iteration of the Non-Scientific, Way-Too-Early Straw Poll.

Methodology

  • Question asked:

“Which gubernatorial candidate are YOU most excited about
voting for in the November 2026 General Election?”

  • Each paid attendee at the Fall Governor Candidate Forum will receive three tickets, each representing one vote.
  • Boxes representing each publicly announced candidate for Governor of the State of Minnesota seeking and eligible for endorsement from the Republican Party of Minnesota will be available to attendees from the start of the official program until at least 10 minutes after it ends.
    • A box will be available for each such candidate, whether or not that candidate personally attends the Forum.
  • An attendee may place their tickets into any available box. Cumulative voting (i.e., casting 2 or 3 votes for a single candidate) is permitted.
    • Tickets will not be tracked, and all votes will be anonymous.
  • After tabulating the tickets in each box, the top 3 vote recipients will have their names announced in alphabetical order by last name.
    • There is no intention to disclose any rankings or statistical data publicly.

Considerations

  • Neither the Forum nor the Straw Poll’s results represent an endorsement or other form of support for any candidate for any office.
  • This straw poll is for entertainment purposes and is not intended to hold any statistical significance regarding the will of the citizens of Senate District 45, the State of Minnesota, or any other place on planet Earth.
  • We know that our representative democracy is based on the fundamental principle of “one person, one vote.” However, being that it is way too early, we are structuring the poll in this manner to provide an opportunity to support multiple candidates.

Accommodations

  • All publicly declared candidates for Governor of the State of Minnesota who are eligible for endorsement by the Republican Party of Minnesota are welcome to attend in person or send an identified surrogate. If you think we missed anyone, please feel free to let us know. We will aim to keep the website as up-to-date as possible.
  • Similarly, all such candidates are encouraged to provide a video for attendees to review in advance of the event.
NOTICE: At the direction of the Republican Party of Minnesota, any individual who is not permitted to attend, speak at, or participate in Republican Party of Minnesota events should not attempt to access or participate in the Forum and will be denied entry, with the assistance of law enforcement.