Republican

§1Ballot status

✎ Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

It is on the list of Minnesota's parties that we assembled from state law and official candidate lists, ballots or results^1,2,4, because we couldn't read a single official list. A list built that way can miss a party that has status but no 2026 candidates. The state's class for it: major political party.^1,2,4

The party had candidates for governor on the August 11, 2026 state partisan primary ballot, which lists only major political parties.^1,5

How a party qualifies in Minnesota

A party becomes a major political party in one of three ways: a candidate for governor, secretary of state, state auditor, attorney general, U.S. Senate or presidential elector gets votes in every county and from at least 8 percent of all voters; it runs a set slate of candidates (at least 45 for state House, 23 for state Senate, 4 for U.S. House and one for each of governor, attorney general, secretary of state and state auditor); or it files a petition signed by party members equal to 5 percent of the voters in the last state general election before primary filing closes.³ Where in the source: subd. 7(b) A major party must also keep a state organization, follow its own rules and file a certification with the Secretary of State by December 1 of each odd-numbered year.³ Where in the source: subd. 7(a) A minor political party needs a state constitution, a state chair, a state convention within two years, a certification filed after each state general election, and either a statewide candidate who got at least 1 percent of the vote or a petition of party members equal to 1 percent of the last general election's voters.³ Where in the source: subd. 23(a)-(b)

How a party keeps its status

A party that qualifies by vote or by slate becomes a major party on January 1 after the election and keeps that status for at least two state general elections.³ Where in the source: subd. 7(c) A major party loses status on December 31 after it fails both the vote test and the slate test at two consecutive state general elections, or on December 31 of a year in which it does not file its certification.³ Where in the source: subd. 7(d)-(e) A minor party likewise loses status after two consecutive state general elections without a candidate reaching its vote threshold.³ Where in the source: subd. 23(d)

§2How it picks nominees

✎ Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Primary election. ^4,5,6,7

Minnesota's rules for nominating

Major party candidates file an affidavit of candidacy and are nominated in the state primary, where each major party has its own column on the partisan primary ballot.^4,5 All other partisan candidates, including candidates of minor parties, reach the ballot by nominating petition and list a political party or principle of up to three words that may not use part of a major party's name.^4,6 A nominating petition needs the lesser of 1 percent of the last general election's voters or 2,000 signatures for a statewide office, the lesser of 5 percent or 1,000 for U.S. House, and the lesser of 10 percent or 500 for a legislative office.⁷ Where in the source: subd. 3

§3On the 2026 ballot

10 Candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House or governor whose label on Minnesota's November 3 ballot names this party, from the state's official candidate list. Labels are shown exactly as the ballot prints them. Other offices aren't covered yet.

§4Notes on Minnesota’s party research

What the research couldn’t find or confirm about Minnesota’s parties, in its own plain words. Nothing is left out silently.

• The Secretary of State's political parties page (https://www.sos.mn.gov/elections-voting/how-elections-work/political-parties/) answered with a CAPTCHA page, so we did not use that site and could not read the official list of major and minor parties for 2026. The two parties here are the only ones on the Secretary of State's August 11, 2026 partisan primary results, and state law puts only major parties on that ballot.
• We could not confirm which groups hold minor political party status for 2026. Under state law minor party candidates reach the ballot by nominating petition, just as independent candidates do, so minor parties are explained under rules rather than listed. The Secretary's November 3, 2026 party table also lists labels used by petition candidates (Forward Independence, Green, Independent, Libertarian, United New Independence); it does not say which, if any, have minor party status.