Minnesotans came out to vote last Tuesday, with nearly 2.6 million people hitting the polls – a midterm turnout of nearly 64 percent. For both political parties, there were some major victories and disappointing losses once all ballots were counted.

Statewide elections were a clean sweep for the Democratic Party. Tim Walz beat Republican-endorsed candidate Jeff Johnson in the governor race. Amy Klobuchar continued her stronghold in the U.S. Senate, with Tina Smith joining her after defeating Republican Karin Housley.

Smith-Housley election by county

U.S. House of Representative races registered bright spots for both parties. Two suburban congressional districts flipped from red to blue, with Angie Craig coming out on top in District Two against incumbent Jason Lewis and Dean Phillips beating Eric Paulsen in District Three. The Republican Party picked up two open seats previously held by DFL’ers — the Eighth Congressional District with GOP Pete Stauber defeating Joe Radinovich and the First Congressional District with Jim Hagedorn edging Dan Feehan. The First District was previously held by now Governor-elect Tim Walz. Minnesota will be sending five new members to Congress next year, creating additional opportunities to develop relationships and make connections about agriculture.

U.S. House elections by district

Following a victory against David Hughes in the Seventh District, Representative Collin Peterson is now likely to become the chair of the U.S. House Ag Committee. The Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) has long enjoyed a strong relationship with Rep. Peterson on issues that impact the state’s corn growers.

“We have enjoyed the opportunity to have both U.S. Representative-elect Jim Hagedorn and U.S. Senator Tina Smith on the farm recently to discuss the importance of corn farming in our state, as well as the issues and opportunities ahead,” MCGA President Brian Thalmann said. “Whether it is in Washington D.C. or back here in Minnesota, the state’s corn growers look forward to establishing and strengthening those relationships with all elected last week to build a more sustainable future for Minnesota farmers.”

Congress will be coming back together for a lame duck session where a top priority for several members will be finalizing and passing a final conference committee report for the farm bill. Congressman Peterson, along with other key farm bill principles, have all stated their intention of finishing a bill this year. With the change in House leadership and make-up in January, the pressure of resolving remaining differences and finishing a bill before the end of this year is definitely on.

MCGA looks forward to continuing to work with existing members of the delegation and will continue building relationships and connections with new members of Minnesota’s delegation to effectively advocate for policy priorities on behalf of our members.