States · Minnesota

Benton County, Minnesota

2026 election results. Lisa Demuth (R) got 64% of the vote for governor in Benton County. The margin is 6.3 points more Democratic than the 2024 presidential vote here. Below are also 45 local contests from the state's own results.

2026 results in Benton County

U.S. Senate

Michele Tafoya

64.1%11,954

Peggy Flanagan

32.7%6,105

Marisa Simonetti

1.6%300

Rebecca Whiting

1.5%285

100% counted

Statewide: Peggy Flanagan wins. Called.

Governor

Lisa Demuth

64.0%11,933

Amy Klobuchar

34.2%6,381

Steven Young

1.8%341

100% counted

Statewide: Amy Klobuchar wins. Called.

U.S. House: Minnesota 6th District

Tom Emmer

64.1%11,894

Doug Chapin

35.9%6,664

100% counted

Whole district: Tom Emmer wins. Called.

The leader in Benton County is only who has the most votes counted here. Races are won statewide or district-wide, and only the race pages report calls. Last vote update here Nov 3, 10:30 PM.

45 local contests in Benton County

County offices, city and town races, school boards, judges and districts on Benton County's ballots, from Minnesota's official results file. Names are as the state prints them. "Ahead" describes the current count; it isn't a race call, and we don't call measures.

County offices

County Commissioner District 2

Candidate	Votes	Share
Edward "Ed" Popp	3,482	98.4%
Write-In	56	1.6%

Edward "Ed" Popp is unopposed.

County Commissioner District 3

Candidate	Votes	Share
Steven J. Heinen	2,306	99.2%
Write-In	18	0.8%

Steven J. Heinen is unopposed.

County Auditor/Treasurer

Candidate	Votes	Share
Mary Lewandowski	9,945	63.5%
Christine Scherbing	5,654	36.1%
Write-In	54	0.3%

Mary Lewandowski ahead in Benton County.

County Sheriff

Candidate	Votes	Share
James "Jay" Dingmann	10,399	65.3%
Joel M Schmidt	5,460	34.3%
Write-In	56	0.4%

James "Jay" Dingmann ahead in Benton County.

County Attorney

Candidate	Votes	Share
Kathleen Reuter	13,180	99.2%
Write-In	110	0.8%

Kathleen Reuter is unopposed.

Cities & towns

Mayor (Foley)

Candidate	Votes	Share
Brandon Voit	785	97.4%
Write-In	21	2.6%

Brandon Voit is unopposed. Foley's page.

Council Member (Foley) 2 seats

Candidate	Votes	Share
Gary Swanson	568	41.5%
Heather Brademan	427	31.2%
Shelby Wurtz	357	26.1%
Write-In	16	1.2%

Gary Swanson and Heather Brademan ahead in Benton County. Foley's page.

Mayor (Gilman)

Candidate	Votes	Share
Adam Mueller	95	88.0%
Write-In	13	12.0%

Adam Mueller is unopposed. Gilman's page.

Council Member (Gilman) 2 seats

Candidate	Votes	Share
Andy Schommer	93	38.9%
Chad Scapanski	81	33.9%
Terry Templin	62	25.9%
Write-In	3	1.3%

Andy Schommer and Chad Scapanski ahead in Benton County. Gilman's page.

Special Election for Council Member (Gilman)

Candidate	Votes	Share
Glorene Rose Weisser	72	64.3%
Write-In	40	35.7%

Glorene Rose Weisser is unopposed. Gilman's page.

Mayor (Rice)

Candidate	Votes	Share
Brian Skroch	720	97.2%
Write-In	21	2.8%

Brian Skroch is unopposed. Rice's page.

Council Member (Rice) 2 seats

Candidate	Votes	Share
Paula K. Kampa	497	38.6%
Andrew Duke	438	34.0%
Kenneth Nodo	340	26.4%
Write-In	13	1.0%

Paula K. Kampa and Andrew Duke ahead in Benton County. Rice's page.

Mayor (Royalton)

Candidate	Votes	Share
Ron Verley	0	—
Write-In	0	—

No votes in the state's file yet. Royalton's page. The contest crosses into 1 other county; across all of them: Ron Verley 394 (94.0%).

Council Member (Royalton) 2 seats

Candidate	Votes	Share
Write-In	0	—

No votes in the state's file yet. Royalton's page. The contest crosses into 1 other county; across all of them: .

Special Election for Council Member Ward 2 (St. Cloud)

Candidate	Votes	Share
Karen A. Larson	1,497	97.7%
Write-In	36	2.3%

Karen A. Larson is unopposed. St. Cloud's page. The contest crosses into 2 other counties; across all of them: Karen A. Larson 3,915 (98.0%).

Mayor (Sartell)

Candidate	Votes	Share
Ryan Fitzthum	620	99.0%
Write-In	6	1.0%

Ryan Fitzthum is unopposed. Sartell's page. The contest crosses into 1 other county; across all of them: Ryan Fitzthum 6,748 (97.2%).

Council Member (Sartell) 2 seats

Candidate	Votes	Share
Colin Anderson	498	51.3%
Matt Dankers	468	48.2%
Write-In	5	0.5%

Colin Anderson and Matt Dankers are unopposed. Sartell's page. The contest crosses into 1 other county; across all of them: Colin Anderson 5,319 (50.1%), Matt Dankers 5,179 (48.7%).

Council Member (Sauk Rapids) 2 seats

Candidate	Votes	Share
Joe Kampa	2,843	37.1%
Nicholas Sauer	2,829	36.9%
Christian Kirmeier	1,958	25.5%
Write-In	42	0.5%

Joe Kampa and Nicholas Sauer ahead in Benton County. Sauk Rapids's page.

Schools

School Board Member (ISD #47, SAUK RAPIDS-RICE) 3 seats

Candidate	Votes	Share
Dan Johnson	6,618	33.8%
Lisa Loidolt	6,460	33.0%
Robyn L Holthaus	6,326	32.3%
Write-In	195	1.0%

Dan Johnson, Lisa Loidolt and Robyn L Holthaus are unopposed.

School Board Member (ISD #51, FOLEY) 3 seats

Candidate	Votes	Share
Todd Novak	2,388	26.9%
Shelby Bowland	1,752	19.7%
Racheal Helmbrecht	1,631	18.4%
Nathan Legatt	1,538	17.3%
Nathan Anderson	1,526	17.2%
Write-In	50	0.6%

Todd Novak, Shelby Bowland and Racheal Helmbrecht ahead in Benton County. The contest crosses into 2 other counties; across all of them: Todd Novak 2,634 (27.2%), Shelby Bowland 1,917 (19.8%), Racheal Helmbrecht 1,747 (18.0%).

School Board Member (ISD #477, PRINCETON) 3 seats

Candidate	Votes	Share
Eric D. Minks	30	27.3%
Melissa Lynch	26	23.6%
Chuck Kobes	18	16.4%
Jeremy Yuker	16	14.5%
Bret Yuker	11	10.0%
Bopha Sar	9	8.2%
Write-In	0	0.0%

Eric D. Minks, Melissa Lynch and Chuck Kobes ahead in Benton County. The contest crosses into 3 other counties; across all of them: Eric D. Minks 4,777 (25.0%), Melissa Lynch 4,403 (23.1%), Chuck Kobes 2,913 (15.3%).

Special Election for School Board Member (ISD #477, PRINCETON)

Candidate	Votes	Share
Christopher Klinghagen	29	65.9%
Adrian Feigl	15	34.1%
Write-In	0	0.0%

Christopher Klinghagen ahead in Benton County. The contest crosses into 3 other counties; across all of them: Christopher Klinghagen 4,825 (69.0%), Adrian Feigl 2,101 (30.1%).

School Board Member (ISD #484, PIERZ) 3 seats

Candidate	Votes	Share
Matthew J. Hoheisel	2	100.0%
Rick Sczublewski	0	0.0%
Wes Young	0	0.0%
Write-In	0	0.0%

Matthew J. Hoheisel is unopposed. The contest crosses into 2 other counties; across all of them: Matthew J. Hoheisel 1,951 (36.6%), Wes Young 1,675 (31.4%), Rick Sczublewski 1,669 (31.3%).

School Board Member (ISD #485, ROYALTON) 3 seats

Candidate	Votes	Share
Matt Pallansch	174	51.8%
Tyra Baumann	142	42.3%
Write-In	20	6.0%

Matt Pallansch and Tyra Baumann are unopposed. The contest crosses into 2 other counties; across all of them: Matt Pallansch 1,231 (50.9%), Tyra Baumann 1,074 (44.4%).

School Board Member At Large (ISD #742, ST CLOUD AREA) 3 seats

Candidate	Votes	Share
Heather Weems	836	22.5%
Sonia Eizenhoefer	621	16.7%
Robert W. Galler, Jr.	616	16.6%
Vincent Miles	593	16.0%
Al Dahlgren	547	14.7%
Steven D. Schiller	477	12.9%
Write-In	20	0.5%

Heather Weems, Sonia Eizenhoefer and Robert W. Galler, Jr. ahead in Benton County. The contest crosses into 3 other counties; across all of them: Heather Weems 17,941 (22.0%), Al Dahlgren 13,557 (16.6%), Vincent Miles 13,268 (16.3%).

School Board Member (ISD #748, SARTELL-ST. STEPHEN) 3 seats

Candidate	Votes	Share
Chris Chamberlain	41	24.1%
Randall Kight	40	23.5%
Emily Larson	33	19.4%
Nate Crowe	29	17.1%
Jen Smith	25	14.7%
Write-In	2	1.2%

Chris Chamberlain, Randall Kight and Emily Larson ahead in Benton County. The contest crosses into 1 other county; across all of them: Chris Chamberlain 4,809 (21.7%), Nate Crowe 4,675 (21.1%), Emily Larson 4,356 (19.7%).

School Board Member (ISD #912, MILACA) 4 seats

Candidate	Votes	Share
Sara Herr Larsen	94	19.5%
Sara Grieser	83	17.2%
Joshua Hurt	83	17.2%
Steve Bistrup	75	15.5%
Jennifer Corrow	74	15.3%
Kayla Moeller	70	14.5%
Write-In	4	0.8%

Sara Herr Larsen, Sara Grieser, Joshua Hurt and Steve Bistrup ahead in Benton County. The contest crosses into 4 other counties; across all of them: Sara Herr Larsen 2,819 (21.9%), Jennifer Corrow 2,283 (17.8%), Sara Grieser 2,174 (16.9%), Kayla Moeller 1,998 (15.5%).

Special Election for School Board Member (ISD #912, MILACA)

Candidate	Votes	Share
Jere L. Day	136	98.6%
Write-In	2	1.4%

Jere L. Day is unopposed. The contest crosses into 4 other counties; across all of them: Jere L. Day 3,885 (98.1%).

Judges

Judge - 7th District Court 2

Candidate	Votes	Share
Michael Leeser	10,952	99.2%
Write-In	90	0.8%

Michael Leeser is unopposed. The contest crosses into 9 other counties; across all of them: Michael Leeser 147,128 (99.4%).

Judge - 7th District Court 8

Candidate	Votes	Share
Matthew E. Engelking	10,954	99.1%
Write-In	96	0.9%

Matthew E. Engelking is unopposed. The contest crosses into 9 other counties; across all of them: Matthew E. Engelking 146,991 (99.4%).

Judge - 7th District Court 9

Candidate	Votes	Share
Michelle Winkis Lawson	10,862	99.1%
Write-In	99	0.9%

Michelle Winkis Lawson is unopposed. The contest crosses into 9 other counties; across all of them: Michelle Winkis Lawson 146,599 (99.4%).

Judge - 7th District Court 11

Candidate	Votes	Share
Andrew Pearson	10,907	99.2%
Write-In	91	0.8%

Andrew Pearson is unopposed. The contest crosses into 9 other counties; across all of them: Andrew Pearson 146,848 (99.4%).

Judge - 7th District Court 12

Candidate	Votes	Share
Kevin M. Miller	10,850	99.1%
Write-In	94	0.9%

Kevin M. Miller is unopposed. The contest crosses into 9 other counties; across all of them: Kevin M. Miller 146,547 (99.4%).

Judge - 7th District Court 13

Candidate	Votes	Share
Michelle Clark	10,866	99.1%
Write-In	94	0.9%

Michelle Clark is unopposed. The contest crosses into 9 other counties; across all of them: Michelle Clark 146,835 (99.4%).

Judge - 7th District Court 14

Candidate	Votes	Share
Meriel Lester	10,892	99.2%
Write-In	86	0.8%

Meriel Lester is unopposed. The contest crosses into 9 other counties; across all of them: Meriel Lester 145,996 (99.3%).

Judge - 7th District Court 15

Candidate	Votes	Share
Ole Tvedten	10,874	99.2%
Write-In	93	0.8%

Ole Tvedten is unopposed. The contest crosses into 9 other counties; across all of them: Ole Tvedten 145,999 (99.3%).

Judge - 7th District Court 21

Candidate	Votes	Share
Robert J. Raupp	10,970	99.2%
Write-In	93	0.8%

Robert J. Raupp is unopposed. The contest crosses into 9 other counties; across all of them: Robert J. Raupp 146,010 (99.4%).

Judge - 7th District Court 22

Candidate	Votes	Share
Doug Clark	10,855	99.2%
Write-In	90	0.8%

Doug Clark is unopposed. The contest crosses into 9 other counties; across all of them: Doug Clark 145,877 (99.3%).

Judge - 7th District Court 24

Candidate	Votes	Share
Karl L. Schmidt	10,909	99.2%
Write-In	85	0.8%

Karl L. Schmidt is unopposed. The contest crosses into 9 other counties; across all of them: Karl L. Schmidt 145,825 (99.4%).

Judge - 7th District Court 26

Candidate	Votes	Share
Mark J. Herzing	10,869	99.2%
Write-In	90	0.8%

Mark J. Herzing is unopposed. The contest crosses into 9 other counties; across all of them: Mark J. Herzing 145,927 (99.3%).

Judge - 7th District Court 27

Candidate	Votes	Share
Tammy L. Merkins	10,840	99.2%
Write-In	91	0.8%

Tammy L. Merkins is unopposed. The contest crosses into 9 other counties; across all of them: Tammy L. Merkins 145,938 (99.3%).

Judge - 7th District Court 28

Candidate	Votes	Share
Antoinette C. Wetzel	10,868	99.2%
Write-In	93	0.8%

Antoinette C. Wetzel is unopposed. The contest crosses into 9 other counties; across all of them: Antoinette C. Wetzel 146,153 (99.3%).

Judge - 7th District Court 30

Candidate	Votes	Share
Jade M. Rosenfeldt	10,819	99.2%
Write-In	92	0.8%

Jade M. Rosenfeldt is unopposed. The contest crosses into 9 other counties; across all of them: Jade M. Rosenfeldt 146,120 (99.3%).

Districts

Soil and Water Supervisor District 2

Candidate	Votes	Share
Joseph Jordan	13,220	99.3%
Write-In	99	0.7%

Joseph Jordan is unopposed.

Soil and Water Supervisor District 3

Candidate	Votes	Share
Write-In	657	100.0%

Minnesota's official results, file posted Nov 13, 12:38 PM. Unofficial until certified.

Compared with 2024

Race	Margin	2024 president	Shift
MN Senate	R +32.4	R +36.6	D +4.2
MN Governor	R +30.3	R +36.6	D +6.3
MN-06	R +28.2	R +36.6	D +8.4

Margins compare the Democrat and the Republican only. The 2024 column is the presidential margin in the same places as each race's votes here. Shift is this year's margin minus it, shown once at least 90% of the expected vote is counted. A dash means there's no 2024 figure for those exact places.

How Benton County has voted for president

Year	Democrat	Share	Republican	Share	Margin	Votes
2024	Kamala Harris	31.0%	Donald Trump	66.9%	R +35.8	22,824
2020	Joe Biden	32.7%	Donald Trump	64.6%	R +32.0	22,227
2016	Hillary Clinton	28.1%	Donald Trump	64.2%	R +36.1	20,058
2012	Barack Obama	41.7%	Mitt Romney	55.3%	R +13.6	19,619
2008	Barack Obama	43.7%	John McCain	53.5%	R +9.7	19,339
2004	John Kerry	43.8%	George W. Bush	54.6%	R +10.8	18,384
2000	Al Gore	40.3%	George W. Bush	51.4%	R +11.1	14,908

Shares are of all presidential votes, and the margin is the Democrat's share minus the Republican's. Since 2000, the presidential margin here has moved R +24.7.

Other counties in Minnesota

Minnesota results

Sources & scope

Votes for 2026 come from the count this site reads, by county. They're unofficial until Minnesota certifies them. Past presidential votes are from MEDSL and VEST, via Polling Forecast. Minnesota's own results, deadlines and offices are on the state page.