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DULUTH – Candidates for Minnesota governor, U.S. Senate and a series of northeastern Minnesota state and local offices will appear in Duluth later this month during two nights of candidate forums ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.
The Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce and Duluth News Tribune will host the 2026 Candidate Forums Sept. 28-29 from 5 to 8:15 p.m. at The Garden Event Center. The Chamber's current events calendar lists eight forums over the two evenings, covering races for governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Minnesota Senate and House, St. Louis County commissioner and Duluth Public Schools referendum questions.
The forums are free and open to the public, with no advance registration required. Walk-ins are welcome. Complimentary parking will be available in the lot behind The Garden for attendees who mention the event.
The first night will feature two of Minnesota's highest-profile statewide contests, including the race for the open U.S. Senate seat between Democratic-Farmer-Labor nominee and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Republican nominee Michele Tafoya, the former national sports broadcaster. Flanagan and Tafoya won their respective party primaries Aug. 11.
Minnesota's gubernatorial nominees will follow in the final forum Monday night, with Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth facing Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Both emerged from contested Aug. 11 primaries.
Monday's program begins at 5 p.m. with Minnesota Senate races. District 3 DFL Sen. Grant Hauschild will appear with Republican challenger Andrea Zupancich, while District 8 DFL Sen. Jen McEwen will face Republican Darrick Law. The Minnesota Senate identifies Hauschild and McEwen as the sitting senators from districts 3 and 8.
The St. Louis County Board District 1 race follows at 6 p.m., featuring incumbent Commissioner Annie Harala and challenger Kris Eilers. Both advanced from the three-candidate August primary. Minnesota Secretary of State filings list Harala and Eilers among the District 1 candidates, and primary results left them as the two candidates advancing to November.
The Flanagan-Tafoya U.S. Senate forum begins at 6:45 p.m., followed at 7:30 p.m. by the Demuth-Klobuchar gubernatorial forum.
Tuesday's schedule begins at 5 p.m. with a forum devoted to Duluth Public Schools' ISD 709 referendum questions, followed by three legislative and congressional forums.
Minnesota House District 3B will be featured at 5:45 p.m., with Republican Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar facing DFL challenger Aaron Schweiger. Zeleznikar and Schweiger are the general-election candidates after each advanced without a contested party primary.
At 6:30 p.m., the program will move to Minnesota House districts 8A and 8B. District 8A DFL Rep. Liish Kozlowski is scheduled to appear with Republican Shawn Savela, while District 8B DFL Rep. Pete Johnson will appear with Republican Alan Kehr.
The two-night series concludes at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday with Minnesota's 8th Congressional District race between Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber and DFL challenger Trina Swanson. Swanson won the DFL primary in August, while Stauber won the Republican nomination as he seeks another term representing the sprawling northeastern Minnesota district.
The Chamber said its candidate forums are structured around invitations to nominees from Minnesota's two major political parties, a longstanding format organizers say is intended to accommodate time and logistical limitations while giving voters an opportunity to hear directly from the major-party candidates.
The Duluth News Tribune will video-record the forums and make them available afterward for free viewing on its website.
The Chamber has previously used The Garden for candidate forums, bringing candidates together in a public setting ahead of elections and making the events available without charge to voters.
Monday, Sept. 28: Minnesota Senate, 5 p.m.; St. Louis County commissioner, 6 p.m.; U.S. Senate, 6:45 p.m.; Minnesota governor, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 29: Duluth Public Schools referendum questions, 5 p.m.; Minnesota House District 3B, 5:45 p.m.; Minnesota House districts 8A and 8B, 6:30 p.m.; U.S. House, 8th Congressional District, 7:30 p.m.
