2026 forecast · Minnesota 1st

Jake Johnson and Brad Finstad are in a toss up for Minnesota's 1st District.

Jake Johnson vs Brad Finstad. The model has Finstad ahead by 1.1 points, winning 57 percent of 2,000 simulated elections.

Toss upModel R +1.1Polls R +0.0Updated October 22, 2026
Jake Johnson
Democrat
49.4%
172,288 projected votes
Brad Finstad
Republican
50.6%
176,324 projected votes
57%Finstad
43%Johnson
Finstad slightly favoredEach square is one simulated election night, Finstad wins about 57 of 100
RatingToss up57% chance for Finstad
Model marginR +1.1Polls R +0.0
80 percent rangeD +7.2 to R +9.52,000 simulations
Projected votes348,612Finstad 50.6%

The district map

Every district in the state, shaded by its rating

Minnesota districts

8 districts
Safe DLikely DLean DToss upLean RLikely RSafe R

Vote share

Each candidate's projected share and the range of 80 percent of simulations

Jake JohnsonDemocrat · 43% to win
49.4%
Brad FinstadRepublican · 57% to win
50.6%

Scale runs from 25 to 75 percent. The dot is the forecast, the band is the 80 percent range and the brighter tick marks 50 percent.

Projected district vote

348,612 votes
CandidateVotesShare
Brad Finstad R176,32450.6%
Jake Johnson D172,28849.4%
Total348,612100%

Each candidate's expected vote in the On Point simulation, at the forecast's projected turnout.

The trend

Each side's chance of winning over the forecast's recent updates

0%25%50%75%100%43% Johnson57% Finstad15 updates agoToday

Polling

Every poll in the average, and how the model reads it

The Minnesota governor polling average
34%36%38%40%42%44%46%48%50%52%54%Aug 17Aug 24Aug 31Sep 7Sep 14Sep 21Sep 28Oct 5Oct 1248.3Klobuchar40.4Demuth
The line is the On Point average: a robust LOWESS fit through the polls, weighted by recency, sample, voter screen and pollster grade, refit three times so outliers count for lessDot size is each poll's weight todayHover or use the arrow keys to read any day
What moves the average today
KSTP/SurveyUSAOct 12 · 650 LV · C+17%Klobuchar +7.0
TIPP InsightsSep 2 · 1,201 LV · A17%Klobuchar +10.0
KSTP/SurveyUSASep 14 · 654 LV · C+17%Klobuchar +7.0
Mason-Dixon for the Star TribuneOct 7 · 800 LV · D-17%Klobuchar +9.0
Morning ConsultOct 7 · 1,000 RV · C-17%Klobuchar +9.0
co/efficient (R)Sep 15 · 833 LV · C+8.4%Klobuchar +2.0
Every other poll together: 6.4%

This is the same On Point polling average as the full average page. The forecast reads the polls through its own Election Day projection, shown as the On Point average in the table below, and blends it with partisan lean and fundamentals.

Polls of the race

Full average
PollsterSampleAgeMargin
On Point averageWeighted averageR +0.0

Each margin is the poll as the pollster published it. The forecast counts every poll after its house effect and the undecided split, which is what the trail above shows; hover a margin for the counted value. Lean R and Lean D mark partisan leaning firms.

Model margin
Finstad +1.1
Chance of winning
Jake Johnson43%
Brad Finstad57%
Simulated vote
Jake Johnson49.4%
Brad Finstad50.6%
How the model gets there
Partisan leanD +12.0
FundamentalsR +1.2
With pollsR +1.2
Early vote turnoutD +0.1
With early voteR +1.1

Read from 0 ballots cast so far in Minnesota, against the party mix the forecast expected of them, with similar states and primary turnout. Early vote tracker

How we got here

From the state's partisan lean to the forecast, one stage at a time

D +14R +14Partisan leanthe state's baselineD +12.0Fundamentalsapproval, economy, candidatesR +1.2With pollsaverage R +0.0R +1.2With early voteturnout so farR +1.1
Methodology
Every county is rebuilt by simulating voters going to the polls, 2,000 times, from On Point Polling survey data, past results, and the polling average. How the model works.