2026 forecast · Minnesota 8th

Trina Swanson is slightly favored to win Minnesota's 8th District.

Trina Swanson vs Pete Stauber. The model has Swanson ahead by 1.9 points, winning 62 percent of 2,000 simulated elections.

Toss upModel D +1.9Updated October 22, 2026
Trina Swanson
Democrat
51.0%
177,624 projected votes
Pete Stauber
Republican
49.0%
170,989 projected votes
62%Swanson
38%Stauber
Swanson slightly favoredEach square is one simulated election night, Swanson wins about 62 of 100
RatingToss up62% chance for Swanson
Model marginD +1.9No polls in the race
80 percent rangeD +10.9 to R +7.32,000 simulations
Projected votes348,613Swanson 51.0%

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

Trina SwansonDemocrat · 62% to win
51.0%
Pete StauberRepublican · 38% to win
49.0%

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

348,613 votes
CandidateVotesShare
Trina Swanson D177,62451.0%
Pete Stauber R170,98949.0%
Total348,613100%

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%62% Swanson38% Stauber15 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 averageNo polls

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
Swanson +1.9
Chance of winning
Trina Swanson62%
Pete Stauber38%
Simulated vote
Trina Swanson51.0%
Pete Stauber49.0%
How the model gets there
Partisan leanD +14.0
FundamentalsD +1.9
With pollsD +1.8
Early vote turnoutD +0.1
With early voteD +1.9

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 +17R +17Partisan leanthe state's baselineD +14.0Fundamentalsapproval, economy, candidatesD +1.9With pollsno pollsD +1.8With early voteturnout so farD +1.9
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.