Minnesota's 6th District Primary

Minnesota's 6th Congressional District covers the northern and western suburbs of the Twin Cities and extends into central Minnesota, including communities such as St. Cloud, Elk River and parts of Wright, Sherburne and Stearns counties. The district has consistently favored Republicans in recent election cycles and is represented by Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN).

Minnesota holds partisan primaries in which each major party nominates one candidate for the Nov. 3 general election. The Republican primary features Tom Emmer (R-MN) and Mike Foley, while Democrats have five candidates seeking the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) nomination. Two candidates are running in the Legal Marijuana Now Party primary. Winners are determined by plurality; there is no runoff or ranked-choice voting. The primary is Aug. 11.

The Candidates

Republican Primary

Emmer has represented Minnesota's 6th District since 2015 and serves as House Majority Whip, the third-ranking position in the House Republican leadership. He also serves on the House Financial Services Committee and is vice chair of its Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Artificial Intelligence.

Foley is a Marine Corps veteran and chemical engineer from Elk River. His campaign has focused on government accountability, fiscal policy and challenging the Republican leadership from within the party.

Democratic Primary

Five candidates are competing for the Democratic nomination. Doug Chapin brings nearly four decades of experience in election policy and administration, including a decade on the faculty at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs. He holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, a Master's in Public Administration from Harvard's Kennedy School, and a bachelor's degree from Princeton, and has worked in Congress, the executive branch, and the courts.

Anson Amberson, of Minden Township, has a background in community-focused work including projects with Habitat for Humanity, medical research, disaster relief, and the CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital trauma center.

Jeremy Wicklund describes himself as a lifelong Minnesotan and grassroots community activist running as a neighbor rather than a career politician.

Jeanne Hendricks is also on the Democratic ballot. Sierra Grandy, who appears in earlier filing records, did not qualify for the Aug. 11 ballot according to election officials and is not included here.

The Money Behind the Race

Campaign finance filings show Tom Emmer (R-MN) remains the dominant fundraiser in the race. According to the Federal Election Commission, Emmer's campaign committee has raised several million dollars during the 2025-26 cycle, far exceeding every other candidate in the field.

Republican challenger Mike Foley reported $26,873 in total receipts, $17,494 in disbursements and $9,379 cash on hand through June 30.

The original draft stated that outside groups reported $1,094 in independent expenditures, all from the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party opposing Emmer. That figure could not be independently confirmed from the FEC's aggregate election tables. The FEC also notes those tables exclude 24- and 48-hour independent expenditure reports, so it is not appropriate to state categorically that only $1,094 in outside spending occurred without reviewing those filings separately.

Ratings vs. Odds

The nation's leading election forecasters agree Republicans remain heavily favored to retain Minnesota's 6th Congressional District. The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections and Sabato's Crystal Ball all rate the district Solid Republican, indicating broad agreement that Republicans enter the general election as strong favorites.

As of Aug. 3, Kalshi traders gave Republicans an 86% probability of winning the district, compared with 14% for Democrats, based on approximately $8,820 in trading volume. Because prediction market prices change continuously, those figures should be treated as a snapshot in time.

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