Twenty-nine candidates are running for Minnesota’s eight U.S. House districts—the fewest since 2014

This year’s filing deadline for candidates running for Congress in Minnesota was June 4, 2024.

Twenty-nine candidates are running for Minnesota’s eight U.S. House districts, including 14 Democrats and 15 Republicans. That’s an average of 3.63 candidates per district. There were 4.00 candidates per district in 2022, 4.63 candidates per district in 2020 and 4.75 in 2018.

Here are some other highlights from this year’s filings:

• The 29 candidates running in Minnesota this year are the fewest number of candidates since 2014, when 19 candidates ran.

• The 3rd Congressional District is the only open district in Minnesota this year. Incumbent Rep. Dean Phillips (D-03) did not run for re-election to run for President of the United States.
• Five candidates—four Democrats and one Republican—are running for the 5th Congressional District, the most candidates running for a district in Minnesota this year.
• Ten primaries—four Democratic and six Republican—are contested this year. Between 2014 and 2022, an average of 8.00 primaries were contested each election cycle.
• Six incumbents—two Democrats and four Republicans—are running in contested primaries this year, tying with 2020 for the most in the last 10 years.
• Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all districts, meaning no seats are guaranteed to either party.

Minnesota and three other states—Connecticut, Vermont, and Wisconsin—are holding primary elections on August 13.

In Minnesota, the winner of a primary election is the candidate who receives the greatest number of votes cast even if they do not win an outright majority.