☕️ Rise and shine! We stayed up late (and got up early) tracking results so you didn't have to.

• 🌧️ More light rain with a high of 55, per NWS.

🌊 Situational awareness: Democrats have won control of both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate in yesterday's midterm elections. The big picture via Axios.

Today’s newsletter is 1,108 words — a 4-minute read.

The blue tsunami washed across Minnesota, lifting Democrats to victory up and down the ballot.

What happened: Democratic candidates swept all statewide offices — including closely watched races for governor, U.S. Senate and attorney general — and clinched majorities in the state House and Senate.

• What it means: Another DFL trifecta, as Amy Klobuchar and legislative Democrats reclaimed full control of the State Capitol after two years of narrowly divided government.

The big picture: Republicans bet that an electorate fed up with fraud in state programs would reverse a 20-year losing streak. It was no match for an unprecedented venting of Democrats' outrage over President Trump and Operation Metro Surge.

• DFL Party chair Richard Carlbom called the results, which mirrored big wins for Democrats across the nation, a "resounding repudiation of Donald Trump."

By the numbers: Klobuchar's landslide 12-point win over Republican Lisa Demuth would mark the largest margin of victory for a Minnesota governor since 1994.

• Minnesota House Democrats are anticipating their biggest majority since the Obama era, Leader Zack Stephenson told reporters.

Yes, but: Trifecta 2.0 will likely look different from the progressive policymaking blitz that defined the DFL's last stretch of full control.

• Unlike in 2023 and 2024, the state is no longer flush with cash, and Klobuchar, a moderate U.S. senator, campaigned on fiscal restraint, fighting fraud and improving the state's business climate.

"Spoiler alert, you may not like everything I do," Klobuchar told a crowd of jubilant Democrats at the InterContinental Hotel in St. Paul last night. "But that's what I ran on, and that is getting things done."

What's next: Klobuchar, who will be the state's first female governor, has promised to conduct a top-to-bottom audit of state government and to replace leaders at fraud-plagued agencies.

What we're watching: Either Klobuchar or outgoing Gov. Tim Walz will appoint an interim U.S. senator to fill her seat, depending on when she steps down.

• A special election will be held in November 2027 to fill the remainder of her term.

How we got here

⚖️ Attorney General Keith Ellison defeated Republican Ron Schutz by 8 percentage points.

🗳️ Secretary of State Steve Simon secured a fourth term as Minnesota's elections chief, with a double-digit victory over Republican Tad Jude.

🔎 And Zack Filipovich, the DFL's nominee for auditor, won his race over former GOP state Sen. Scott Jensen by 9 percentage points.

On the legislative side, Senate Democrats were on track to flip six Republican districts. Just one of their vulnerable incumbents, Moorhead Democrat Rob Kupec, was losing as of this morning.

• That would translate to a net gain of five DFL seats in that chamber, though Kupec's four-vote loss will trigger a recount.
• Ousted incumbents on the GOP side included longtime Sen. Jim Abeler of Anoka and first-term Sen. Michael Kreun of Blaine.

State House Democrats, meanwhile, were on track to win a 20-seat majority in the 134-seat chamber.

In the U.S. Senate race, Democrat Peggy Flanagan handily defeated Republican Michele Tafoya.

The big picture: Flanagan's win denied Republicans the opportunity to flip a Senate seat that Democrats have held for nearly a quarter-century.

• An enrolled member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Flanagan's win makes her the first Native American woman elected to the U.S. Senate.

Context: Flanagan, who defeated a more moderate Democrat in the August primary, campaigned on affordability and health care, championing progressive proposals such as Medicare for All and a $17 minimum wage.

• She has said she wants to continue a long run of Minnesotans serving on the Indian Affairs Committee.

What she's saying: In a fiery speech to supporters, Flanagan pledged to work to lower health care costs, "break apart ICE" and push back against corruption.

• "We know that people demanded more, and for those of us elected in this moment, it is an opportunity to deliver," she said.

Go deeper

While some pre-election polls showed a close race, Flanagan ultimately won the U.S. Senate seat by a double-digit margin.

• Big numbers in the population-dense metro helped fuel her victory.

Click here to explore an interactive map

Democrat Jake Johnson declared victory over GOP U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad in the 1st Congressional District overnight.

• As of this morning, Johnson was ahead by about 300 votes.

Why it matters: A flip would be a stunning upset in the Southern Minnesota district that Trump carried by 12 points in 2024.

• The Associated Press had not called the race as of 6am.

Democrat Matt Little, a former state senator and Lakeville mayor, defeated GOP state Sen. Eric Pratt to win the south metro's 2nd Congressional District.

• Little will succeed DFL U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, who stepped aside to run for U.S. Senate.

Minnesota's six other U.S. House incumbents all won their reelection bids.

⚖️ Cedrick Frazier narrowly defeated Anders Folk to win the heated Hennepin County attorney race.

• Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt sailed to victory in her bid for another term.

🏢 St. Paul Council President Rebecca Noecker eked out a win — by just 119 votes — over DFL state Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega in the election to succeed retiring Ramsey County commissioner Rafael Ortega.

🛠️ A "right-to-repair" ballot measure overwhelmingly passed in St. Paul, giving rental tenants the power to make fixes to their housing units, then bill their landlord for the work.

📚 Minnesotans approved a constitutional amendment to increase school funding without raising taxes.

🏫 Christin Crabtree and Collin Beachy won at-large races for Minneapolis School Board, while Abdul Abdi, Becca Dryden and Shannon Gibney won district races.

🏛️ Former State Sen. Nicole Mitchell, who resigned after a 2025 burglary conviction, narrowly won an at-large seat on the Woodbury City Council.

Some Minnesotans left their "I Voted" stickers at memorials for Renee Good and Alex Pretti yesterday.

Why it matters: The tributes in Minneapolis and Houston highlighted how the Trump administration's unpopular immigration crackdown motivated voters.

• "Donald Trump came for our neighbors. Minnesotans chose each other," Carlbom, the DFL chair, told supporters last night. "And tonight we made that same choice at the ballot box."

Keep reading

🎄Nick believes that no matter how you feel about the election, we can all agree it's too early for Christmas lights.

🥱 Torey really needs a nap.

🀄️ Kyle managed to play some mahjong before the returns came in.

✈️ Audrey spent last night at our HQ in D.C.

Edited by Larry W. Graham.