The Fluence Brief: An Early Look at the GOP Governor's Race

A deeper more insightful look at business, industry and politics.

12.9.25

While Minnesota’s fraud news spreads nationally, Republicans are savoring a chance to win back the Governor’s office. Headwinds exist, from the economy to the chaos of President Trump.

The lack of a well-funded and organized state party, a losing streak on the cusp of 20 years still make it hard to bet that Republicans can win in Minnesota - until they do.

There’s months ahead to dig into the daily of the race, but the field is set - for the most part, and here’s how they stack up for the chance to face Gov. Tim Walz or not in 2026.

Forward to friends - we’ll have regular paid MNsider content in 2026.

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Blois - bloisolson@gmail.com

Dispatch from Marshall: Two Tiers of GOP Hopefuls

The scene in Marshall with nine candidates showed the candidates that are disciplined, those who can work a room and others who need to up their game. No one broke through, and none broke down – but you can see which candidates have real potential, and those who don’t.

There is something different about Republicans early attitude in the 2026 Governor’s race – they all mention that they are sick of losing. They have a new lens on viewing candidates with more emphasis on finding a general election candidate that can win.

It’s too early to make a prediction on who the nominee is, but the assessment of the field is broken down in two tiers. The candidates that are likely to be the nominee, and those that will likely influence who the nominee is. The other factor that is traditionally in play is which candidate will abide by the party’s endorsement.