Live: Election Day coverage across the Northland
Pat Campanaro wins District 5 Hospital Board seat
12:30 a.m.
Pat Campanaro has received 63% of the vote with all precincts reporting. Campanaro unseats Randy Wiitala, the current Board President. Campanaro received 350 votes to Wiitala’s 206.
The election sees a shift in the hospital board, which will see two new members in 2027.
Ben Hallberg wins Sheriff’s Office
12:27 a.m.
With all precincts reporting, Ben Hallberg won the election for Cook County Sheriff with 67.89% of the vote. Hallberg was sworn in as interim sheriff in April when then-Sheriff Pat Eliasen retired. Hallberg received 2,241 votes while his challenger, deputy Ty Backlund, received 1,059.
Rena Rogers wins another term on school board
11:29 p.m.
Rena Rogers ran unopposed for District 3 and received 97% of the vote. Rogers is a longtime school board member and received 604 votes.
Sharon Berglund wins District 3 Hospital Board seat
11:25 p.m.
With all precincts reporting, Sharon Berglund has won the District 3 Hospital Board seat with 61.45% of the vote. Berglund worked at North Shore Health for 40 years and told WTIP that she had always had a goal of serving on the hospital board.
Berglund defeats incumbent Steve Frykman. Berglund received 424 votes, while Frykman received 265.
David Mills wins re-election for District 3
11:11 p.m.
David Mills won his third term to the Cook County Board of Commissioners for District 3. Mills defeated Roger Westerlind with 62% of the vote. Mills received 463 votes to 280 for Westerlind.
Patty Winchell-Dahl re-elected to Hospital Board
11:07 p.m.
Hospital Board Treasurer Patty Winchell-Dahl was re-elected to the board with 99% of the vote. Winchell-Dahl ran unopposed in District 1.
Commissioner Deb White re-elected to District 1
10:57 p.m.
County Commissioner Deb White was re-elected in District 1 with 56% of the vote. Her opponent Matt Kelm received 43% of the vote.
White, a first-term commissioner, has spoken about the need for the county to assess its priorities as it prepares the 2027 budget.
Election results for Grand Marais Mayor and City Council
10:31 p.m.
Shortly after 10 p.m., the Secretary of State website reports that Dane Kufa and William Lovaas have received the most votes and are elected to the Grand Marais City Council. Three candidates filed for the two seats in the city council race: Kufa, Lovaas, and Ben Peters. The two candidates with the most votes will secure a seat on the city council.
Kufa received 449 votes for 38.25% of the vote. Lovaas received 383 votes for 32.62% of the vote. Peters received 331 votes for 28.19%.
Grand Marais Mayor Tracy Benson, who ran unopposed, received 671 votes for 97.81% of the vote. 15 votes went to a write-in candidate.
WTIP speaks with candidates during Election Night
10:01 p.m.
As part of WTIP’s live on-air election coverage for Election Night, WTIP spoke with candidates, Sen. Grant Hauschild running for Minnesota Senate District 3, Aaron Kania running for State Representative District 3A, and Trina Swanson running for U.S. Representative District 8.
Initial election results start to trickle in across Minnesota
9:47 p.m.
Election results for several state races are starting to trickle in.
Local Cook County race results have not yet been reported on the Minnesota Secretary of State website.
Over 1 million Minnesota voters participate in mid-term elections
6:30 p.m.
As of Tuesday at 3 p.m., over one million Minnesotans had voted in person, by mail, or through absentee voting, according to data from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office.
Polls close in Minnesota at 8 p.m.
Ely sees strong voter turnout
5:20 p.m.
The Ely Echo reports that as of 4:25 p.m. there were 1,021 in-person votes cast in Ely along with 565 early/absentee votes for a total of 1,566.
In the 2022 mid-term election, there were 1,701 total votes cast in Ely, according to the Ely Echo.
From the state Senate to the sheriff’s office, three elections to watch Tuesday night
11 a.m.
Several races could have significant implications for Cook County and northeastern Minnesota as voters head to the polls Tuesday. Some are on local ballots, while others are unfolding elsewhere in the region.
Here are three key elections WTIP will be watching as results come in Tuesday night.
Sen. Grant Hauschild vs. Mayor Andrea Zupancich
DFL state Sen. Grant Hauschild won his Senate District 3 seat in 2022, defeating Republican Andrea Zupancich by just 703 votes. Zupancich went on to win the 2024 Babbitt mayoral election and is now challenging Hauschild in a rematch.
The race has drawn statewide attention for the amount of money being spent by political parties and outside groups. By late September, more than $1.3 million had been spent on the contest, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune, making it one of the state’s most expensive legislative races.
Much of that spending has come from outside political groups seeking to influence the election rather than directly from the candidates’ campaigns.
Former Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen endorsed Hauschild.
The outcome could have implications for control of the Minnesota Senate, where Democrats currently hold a one-seat majority.
Hermantown City Council
The proposed Google data center in Hermantown has become a statewide story, reflecting a broader national debate over the environmental and economic impacts of large data centers.
The controversy has also become a central issue in Hermantown’s City Council election, with three of the challengers citing concerns about the project and the city’s transparency as reasons for entering the race.
Incumbent Councilor Andy Hjelle, who voted in favor of resolutions approving the project, faces challengers Candi Mock, Emma Richtman and Miranda McKay-Chambers. Four candidates are competing for two council seats.
The Hermantown City Council voted unanimously Friday to approve measures allowing the data center project to move forward, despite significant public opposition.
Tuesday’s election will provide an indication of how those concerns have influenced Hermantown voters.
Cook County Sheriff
Cook County voters will choose between interim Sheriff Ben Hallberg and Deputy Ty Backlund in the county’s first contested sheriff’s election in more than a decade.
Hallberg was sworn in as interim sheriff in May following the retirement of former Sheriff Pat Eliasen, who held the office for three terms.
Hallberg, who previously served as chief deputy, had announced his intention to run for sheriff in March. Backlund announced his candidacy in January.
Hallberg has worked for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office for 14 years, rising through the ranks to chief deputy before assuming the interim position. He has emphasized his experience and familiarity with the department as qualifications for the position.
Backlund has presented his candidacy as an opportunity for new leadership, although the two candidates expressed similar positions on several issues during a WTIP candidate forum in September.
During the forum, Hallberg and Backlund discussed staffing challenges, public safety, emergency response, law enforcement technology and the role of local law enforcement in federal operations.
The election will determine who leads the Sheriff’s Office as it navigates staffing needs and other public safety challenges in Cook County.
From Washington to Cook County, voters weigh key issues on Election Day
10 a.m.
As voters head to the polls Tuesday, several key issues are shaping elections at the federal, state and local levels.
Nationally, President Donald Trump’s low approval ratings, an enthusiasm gap between Democratic and Republican voters, and concerns about the economy could create favorable conditions for Democrats in the midterm elections.
An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in October found that more than 8 in 10 voters considered the economy and cost of living among the most important issues influencing their votes. About two-thirds identified health care and the war with Iran as major concerns.
In Minnesota, the elections are also testing voters’ confidence in Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party leadership following a series of high-profile fraud cases involving state-funded programs.
Republicans have made government oversight and fraud central issues in their campaigns, hoping voter frustration will help Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth defeat Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the governor’s race.
Similar issues have emerged in the races for attorney general and secretary of state, as well as the closely watched U.S. Senate contest between Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Republican former sportscaster Michele Tafoya.
Closer to home, Cook County voters are deciding several local races that could shape the county’s leadership in the coming years.
Voters interviewed by WTIP on Tuesday morning identified the sheriff’s race as one reason they were motivated to head to the polls.
Three Cook County Board of Commissioners seats and three North Shore Health Hospital District Board seats are on the ballot. In Grand Marais, three candidates are competing for two City Council seats.
The county elections follow a series of public listening sessions this fall during which residents raised concerns about county spending, funding for nonmandated services and transparency in local government.
Incumbent commissioners David Mills and Debra White both face challengers. The outcomes could reshape the County Board as officials grapple with rising costs for state-mandated services and decisions about funding other county programs.
WTIP spoke with voters Tuesday morning about the issues influencing their decisions at the polls.
WTIP will continue covering local, state and national election developments throughout the day, with live coverage beginning as polls close at 8 p.m.
Cook County voters turnout for mid-term elections
8 a.m.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and many Minnesota voters have already cast their ballots during the early voting period.
Cook County Auditor/Treasurer Braidy Powers told WTIP that as of Monday, Nov. 2, at 4 p.m. that the county had received 2,449 ballots.
There are 4,016 voters registered in Cook County, as of Nov. 2, according to Minnesota Secretary of State data. Turnout of registered voters in Cook County is nearly 61%.
As of Tuesday morning, nearly 984,000 Minnesotans had voted in person, by mail, or through absentee voting, according to data from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office.
On Election Day, voters casting ballots in person in Grand Marais East will use a new polling location this year at Grand Marais City Hall. Grand Marais West voters will continue voting at the Cook County Community Center.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.
What to expect in Minnesota on Election Day
7:30 a.m.
From the Associated Press
Minnesota voters will elect a new governor and new senator Tuesday. Voters will also decide races for other federal and state offices, including contests across the state that could determine control of both chambers of the narrowly divided state Legislature.
The 8 p.m. hour is primetime on election night, with polls fully closing in almost half the states, including Minnesota.
The 2024 general election vote counts in Iowa, Nebraska, New York and Wisconsin all reached the halfway mark roughly in the 10 p.m. hour, while Minnesota reached 50% of all votes counted at 11:29 p.m. Iowa and New York completed 90% of the count just before midnight, while Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin reached 90% early the next day between 2 and 3:30 a.m.
Election Day arrives Tuesday with live coverage planned on WTIP
7 a.m.
As part of WTIP’s 2026 election coverage, WTIP will provide live coverage of Election Day results starting at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
WTIP’s News Team, including Kalli Hawkins, Josh Hinke, and Sterling Anderson, will be live on the air sharing national, state, and local election results once polls close.
Coverage will run until approximately 11 p.m., depending on when local election results come in. WTIP will follow local election results for the Cook County Board of Commissioners race, the Cook County Sheriff race, Grand Marais Mayor and City Council seats ,ISD 166 School Board, North Shore Health Hospital District Board, and Cook County Soil and Water Conservation District.
WTIP will also closely follow and share state election results, including for Minnesota Governor, U.S. Senate, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Auditor, and others.
Tune in at 90.7 FM, 90.1 FM, or 89.1 FM, or stream online or the WTIP App.
Candidate roundup: WTIP election coverage 2026
Ahead of the 2026 general election, the WTIP News Department interviewed candidates running in local races. Find WTIP’s latest 2026 election coverage, including one-hour candidate forums and one-on-one candidate interviews in the link below:
WTIP Staff November 3, 2026
