Popular Republican Wins Minnesota GOP Primary

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer easily secured the Republican nomination in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District on Tuesday, crushing two primary challengers and demonstrating his continued strength among GOP voters as attention now shifts to November.

Emmer captured 81 percent of the Republican primary vote, receiving 53,088 votes. Mike Foley finished a distant second with 10,022 votes, or roughly 15 percent, while Chris Corey received 2,502 votes, or about 4 percent.

The Republican incumbent will now face DFL nominee Doug Chapin in the Nov. 3 general election. Chapin ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Emmer, who has represented the district since 2015, entered Tuesday’s contest with overwhelming support from the local Republican organization. He secured the 6th Congressional District Republican Party endorsement in May with 91.2 percent of the vote on the convention’s first ballot.

Foley, an Elk River veteran, had announced before the convention that he would continue campaigning regardless of whether he received the party endorsement. Although he performed better among primary voters than he did at the convention, he remained far behind Emmer.

Even in Foley’s home territory of Sherburne County, his performance against Emmer was only about two percentage points stronger than his districtwide result.

Corey, who previously challenged Emmer in 2024, skipped this year’s Republican endorsing convention and finished third.

Following his commanding victory, Emmer thanked supporters and quickly turned his focus toward November and advancing President Donald Trump’s agenda in Congress.

“Jacquie and I are blessed for the resounding support and trust of voters across the Sixth District,” Emmer wrote on X.

“Minnesotans know what is at stake in November – it’s an election of chaos versus common sense, communism versus freedom,” he continued.

“As your Congressman, I’ll continue standing up for our shared conservative values, working alongside President Trump to combat fraud, lower the cost of living and advance our America First agenda,” Emmer said.

“Thank you to all for your continued support!” he added.

While Emmer’s 81-percent showing left little doubt about his standing within the Republican electorate, Democratic turnout provided another set of numbers that both parties will likely examine heading into the general election.

Chapin collected 48,395 votes despite running without a primary opponent. That put him fewer than 4,700 votes behind Emmer’s individual total, though roughly 17,000 votes behind the combined Republican primary turnout.

Chapin’s total was also more than two-and-a-half times the turnout recorded in the district’s competitive 2024 DFL primary, which took place during a presidential election year.

Democrats have pointed to other signs of increased participation this cycle. DFL precinct caucuses reportedly experienced record statewide turnout earlier this year, while participation in the 6th District was reported to be four times higher than its previous record.

Approximately half of those attending the district’s DFL caucuses were reportedly first-time participants. That figure varied considerably by location, from roughly 30 percent in Sherburne County and the St. Cloud area to around 70 percent in Carver County.

Those numbers may provide Democrats with reasons for optimism, but they are far from a reliable forecast of November. Primary elections and party caucuses attract a much smaller and more politically engaged electorate than general elections.

The combined turnout in Tuesday’s congressional primaries represented only about one-fifth of the votes cast in the district during the 2024 general election, meaning hundreds of thousands of additional Minnesotans could participate when the seat is decided in November.

Emmer therefore enters the general election with a decisive primary mandate, strong Republican institutional support and a prominent leadership position in Washington. Chapin, meanwhile, will attempt to translate Democrats’ increased primary and caucus participation into a competitive challenge.

For Emmer, the message coming out of Tuesday was clear: Republican voters overwhelmingly backed another term and his continued partnership with President Trump in advancing the GOP’s America First agenda.