Blizzard warnings in Northwest Minnesota, winter weather advisories across the state

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Former Minnesota Republican Party Chair David Hann got into the U.S. Senate race Thursday, adding himself to a field that could get even more crowded in the new year.

Hann, a former Minnesota state Senate leader, is running for the seat that Democratic U.S. Sen. Tina Smith will leave at the end of 2026.

“We need to have representation in Washington that is going to work with the administration and not just be obstructionist. I think the Democrats in Minnesota have proven over the past few years that their primary motive, primary direction that they're heading for is simply to oppose everything that the administration is trying to do and oppose Donald Trump,” Hann said.

He said that if elected, he’d take a different approach. Hann said he’d assist Trump in advancing policies around immigration enforcement, taxation and regulations for businesses.

“I'm going to go to Washington to work with the president, work with his administration, and try to make sure that Minnesota can make progress and not just be obstructionist to the president,” he told MPR News. 

Hann was chair of the state Republican Party from October 2021 to until he was defeated for another term in late 2024. He was a state senator in an Eden Prairie district from 2003 until his defeat in 2016, when he had been the Republican minority leader.

He joins a roster of GOP candidates who have been running for months. That includes Royce White, who was the party's nominee for U.S. Senate in 2024, Navy veteran Tom Weiler and retired Navy Seal Adam Schwarze, among others. He says his background in elected office and running the party sets him aside from fellow candidates in the crowded field.

Speculation surrounds nationally known TV sportscaster Michele Tafoya, who is reportedly considering a January entry into the race after meeting with top Senate Republican officials about a bid.

“None of the candidates running have ever won an election for anything, and some of them have never even been in politics,” Hann said. 

“I think it's very difficult to make the claim to voters that you should go to the United States Senate when you really haven't been involved in the political process at all,” he continued. “That's what separates me from the other candidates: the level of experience I have, and the fact that I am a known entity across the state.”

Hann said he’d stick with his campaign even if other big-name candidates enter the race. And he planned to move on to a summer primary if he doesn’t receive the Republican Party endorsement in May.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and 2nd District U.S. Rep. Angie Craig are competing for the nod from Democratic voters. Billy Nord is also running as a Democrat.

Both parties will hold endorsing conventions in May but competitive primaries could follow in August before the fall ballot is set.

Minnesota has had all Democrats in its two U.S. Senate seats since 2009.

Politics and Government News

NewsPartners

Homepage

Peter Cox

Author

Dana Ferguson

David Hann joins an increasingly crowded race on the GOP side for U.S. Senate with the possibility for other entrants in the new year. Minnesota’s seat will be open after the Democratic incumbent retires.

Former Minnesota GOP chair David Hann joins U.S. Senate race

Go Deeper.

Like this?