Minnesota Poised to Elect a Woman to US Senate for 5th Straight Contest
Only four states have ever accomplished this historical feat
Last week’s long-anticipated entrance of journalist and sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya (pictured) into Minnesota’s open 2026 U.S. Senate race further increases the odds that the Gopher State will elect a woman to the nation’s upper legislative chamber for a fifth consecutive contest.
For starters, the eventual DFL nominee heads into the midterms to succeed retiring Senator Tina Smith with historical winds at their back. Republicans have lost each of the last 28 elections on a statewide ballot in Minnesota since 2008 as well as each of the last eight U.S. Senate races held since 2006. That nominee is poised to be either U.S. Representative Angie Craig or Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan.
Meanwhile, Tafoya is the first woman to enter the 2026 GOP primary field and launches her campaign as a lauded Republican recruit boasting the support of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Although Tafoya is a political novice competing against at least three candidates who have previously run for political office, she is expected to be the early frontrunner on the Republican side.
Should a woman once again win the the Gopher State’s 2026 election, Minnesota would become the fifth state to elect a woman in five or more consecutive U.S. Senate contests – following DFLer Tina Smith (2018 special), DFLer Amy Klobuchar (2018), Smith (2020), and Klobuchar (2024).
California was the first state to do so, and ended up electing women to a current record 11 straight U.S. Senate elections: Democrat Dianne Feinstein (1992 special), Democrat Barbara Boxer (1992), Feinstein (1994), Boxer (1998), Feinstein (2000), Boxer (2004), Feinstein (2006), Boxer (2010), Feinstein (2012), Democrat Kamala Harris (2016), and Feinstein (2018).
The State of Washington can tie that mark in 2028 on the heels of Democrats Patty Murray (1998, 2004, 2010, 2016, 2022) and Maria Cantwell (2000, 2006, 2012, 2018, 2024) winning a collective 10 straight contests since 1998.
Maine is next, sending Republicans Olympia Snowe (1994, 2000, 2006) and Susan Collins (1996, 2002, 2008) to the U.S. Senate across six consecutive cycles.
Neighboring New Hampshire has also elected women during the last six U.S. Senate contests: Democrat Jeanne Shaheen (2008), Republican Kelly Ayotte (2010), Shaheen (2014), Democrat Maggie Hassan (2016), Shaheen (2020), and Hassan (2022).
The Granite State streak is slated to end this November with U.S. Representative Chris Pappas poised to win the Democratic primary to face one of two former U.S. Senators – Scott Brown or John Sununu.
The only other state to have elected women to the U.S. Senate in consecutive elections is Nevada where Democrats Catherine Cortez Masto (2016, 2022) and Jackie Rosen (2018, 2024) have won the last four.
No other state has elected women in back-to-back U.S. Senate races though Michigan has the opportunity to do so this November with U.S. Representative Haley Stevens and State Senator Mallory McMorrow each hoping to win the Democratic nomination and join recently elected Elissa Slotkin in the legislative chamber.
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*WY: Cynthia Lummis in 2020; Harriet Hageman 2026?
NY: HRC in 2000 and 2006; Kirsten Gillibrand 2010 (retention after 2009 appointment), 2012, 2018 and 2024
NC: “Liddy” Dole in 2002; Kay Hagan in 2008
MI: Debbie Stabenow in 2000, 2006, 2012, and 2018; Elissa Slotkin in 2024
IA: Joni Ernst in 2014 and 2020; Ashley Hinson 2026?*
~ Successive wins or would-be wins by two or more women *within specific US Senate seats* ~ (in addition to the more restrictive list in the report itself)
– The XX streak in the Class 2 seat of ME would continue if either Collins herself or Governor Janet Mills were to win.
– The At-Large (US House) seat in WY has been won by two or more women starting with the 1994 election. Whether that noteworthy streak will continue (Hageman is making her own Senate bid, with odds much more favorable than Tafoya) remains to be determined.
If Jillian Balow wins in 2026, she’d be 5th consecutive woman after Barbra Cubin (1995-2009), Cynthia Lummis (2009-2017), Liz Cheney (2017-2023), and Harriet Hageman (2023-2027)
Donald Trump has endorsed Megan Degenfelder for WY governor, which means that she could be only the 2nd woman ever to hold such a role. I believe that WY was the 1st state ever to have a female governor if I remember correctly.
Indeed, you “remember” (reading about it, I presume) correctly; Nellie Ross, a Democrat, became the first XX governor of WY – or any other state – in early 1925. Should Degenfelder win she would become the first Republican female governor of the Cowboy State, as well as the first woman to win a full term in the state.
Were the Democratic Party of the state in better shape it might be in a position to take advantage of the traditional “naysayer sentiment” in the gubernatorial balloting (it voted against the party in WH from 1982 through 2014, and again in 2022), but alas…
Amy Klobuchar has just entered MN Gov race. I don’t know if MN has ever had a female Gov although it does have an extensive list of female Lt. Gov’s and I don’t think I’ve seen any records of 4 sitting us senator’s running for Gov simultaneously.
If Senator Klobuchar were to select a female lieutenant governor nominee and were they to win, would such ticket be the first in any state with an all-XX winning ‘joint ticket’?
(Presently, AR and VA have female GUV and LTG but were elected in separate elections. As well, IA elects LTG and GUV in a single general election but “Chris” Cournoyer was appointed to her post in 12 of 2024 rather than elected with “Kim” Reynolds in 2022.)