Popular Republican Wins Minnesota GOP Primary
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer received an overwhelming show of support from Republican voters Tuesday, easily dispatching two challengers seeking to deny him another term in Congress.
But another set of numbers from Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District is attracting attention as both parties begin looking toward a November general election that will involve a much larger electorate.
Emmer won the Republican nomination with 81 percent of the vote, receiving 53,088 votes compared with 10,022 votes, or 15 percent, for Mike Foley and 2,502 votes, or 4 percent, for Chris Corey.
The Republican incumbent will now face DFL nominee Doug Chapin in the Nov. 3 general election after Chapin ran unopposed in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
Emmer, who has represented the district since 2015, entered the primary with strong institutional support after receiving the 6th Congressional District Republican Party endorsement in May with 91.2 percent of the first-ballot convention vote.
Foley, an Elk River veteran, announced before the convention that he would not abide by the party endorsement and would continue his campaign into the Republican primary regardless of the result.
Foley ultimately improved upon his convention performance but remained far behind Emmer when Republican primary voters made their choice Tuesday.
In Foley’s home base of Sherburne County, he performed only about two percentage points better against Emmer than he did districtwide.
Corey, who previously challenged Emmer in 2024, did not participate in this year’s Republican endorsing convention and finished a distant third Tuesday.
Emmer celebrated the size of his victory while immediately turning his attention toward the general election and his work with President Donald Trump.
“Jacquie and I are blessed for the resounding support and trust of voters across the Sixth District,” Emmer said in a post on X.
“Minnesotans know what is at stake in November – it’s an election of chaos versus common sense, communism versus freedom,” he continued.
“As your Congressman, I’ll continue standing up for our shared conservative values, working alongside President Trump to combat fraud, lower the cost of living and advance our America First agenda,” Emmer said.
“Thank you to all for your continued support!” he added.
While Emmer’s 81-percent victory demonstrated his continued strength among Republican primary voters, Chapin’s vote total offered another data point for observers attempting to gauge Democratic enthusiasm in the district.
Despite having no opponent in the DFL primary, Chapin received 48,395 votes, putting him fewer than 4,700 votes behind Emmer’s individual total and approximately 17,000 votes behind the combined Republican primary vote.
Chapin’s total was also more than two-and-a-half times the total turnout in the district’s competitive 2024 DFL primary, which occurred during a presidential election year.
Democrats have seen other indications of increased organizational participation this cycle, including record statewide turnout during DFL precinct caucuses earlier this year.
In the 6th District, DFL caucus participation was reportedly four times higher than the district’s previous record, with approximately half of participants attending a caucus for the first time.
The share of first-time caucus participants varied substantially across the district, ranging from approximately 30 percent in Sherburne County and the St. Cloud area to roughly 70 percent in Carver County.
Those figures, however, cannot by themselves predict the November result because primary and caucus participation represent only a fraction of the electorate that votes in a general election.
The combined number of ballots cast across Tuesday’s congressional primaries was approximately one-fifth of the number of votes cast in the district during the 2024 general election, meaning hundreds of thousands of additional voters could participate in November, Star News reported.
Emmer therefore leaves the primary with an overwhelming victory and the Republican nomination secured, while Chapin’s turnout provides Democrats with an early measure of enthusiasm as both campaigns prepare for the much larger electorate expected to decide Minnesota’s 6th District on Nov. 3.
BREAKING: Dolly Parton’s Cause Of Death Revealed: ‘Brief Battle’
Dolly Parton’s death came after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives revealed Tuesday.
The country music legend died Aug. 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She was 80.
Parton had been admitted to the cancer center Friday, four days before her death. Her representatives confirmed the cancer diagnosis in a statement to PEOPLE but did not disclose what type she had.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement read.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
The “Jolene” singer had also been dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues before her death, PEOPLE previously reported.
Just days earlier, Dolly Parton opened up about her declining health and acknowledged that she had put off addressing some medical issues while caring for her husband, Carl.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over [my husband] Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Parton told PEOPLE.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in an Instagram video Tuesday on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he says in the video.
Seaver, who served as Parton’s head of security for more than two decades, said she had asked him years earlier to deliver the announcement.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
Seaver said the moment brought immense pride and heartbreak, but he took comfort in his faith that Parton had been reunited with Carl and other loved ones.
Seaver added: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless othe
Shocking 'truth' behind Prince Harry's decision to quit major role
Prince Harry should have "resigned in disgrace" from the board of a controversial African wildlife charity, a commentator says. James Walker makes the bombshell remark in Wednesday's episode of this publication's podcast, Daily Expresso.
He and the show's host, JJ Anisiobi, delve into the Duke of Sussex's dramatic decision to step down from African Parks. James, commenting on the controversy, said: "When you hear about this stuff and how long it's been going on for, you should be resigning in disgrace. [Harry] should be saying: 'I'm not touching that with a barge pole. That is a failed entity. We're going nowhere near it'.
"But no. He's still saying he's going to 'support their mission'. And again this Caroline Pearce, executive director of Survival International, goes on to say: 'His departure doesn't undo that record'.
"She alleged that African Parks was aware of the abuses for years, but it was only after Survival complained to Harry that the charity finally commissioned an investigation."
James added: "Well, she's got a point."
It emerged on Monday (August 24) that Harry was no longer a board member of the wildlife charity.
The conservation organisation has admitted that human rights abuses were committed by its rangers against members of the semi-nomadic Baka group in Congo-Brazzaville.
African Parks has said since that it has improved its safeguarding processes both in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park and institutionally.
Its admission followed an independent human rights investigation into allegations guards managed and paid by the charity had beaten, raped and tortured indigenous people in Odzala-Kokoua National Park.
Harry was president of the charity for six years before he became a member of its board of directors in 2023.
A spokesman for the Duke said he remains an active and avid supporter of African Parks. He added: "The Duke is proud of his 10 years with African Parks and fully supports the ongoing strengthening of its board.
"His commitment to conservation in Africa continues and he remains a supporter of African Parks’ mission."
Human rights organisation, Survival International, said it had been calling on Harry to step down from African Parks for years.
The group's director, Caroline Pearce, said in a statement: "It’s outrageous that for 10 years Prince Harry has served African Parks while the organisation has been responsible for abuse and violence against Indigenous people.
"His departure doesn't undo that record — African Parks itself must now be held accountable, and must abandon this model of fortress conservation for good."
Survival International said indigenous peoples know how best to manage their land and the idea outsiders know better is racist and colonial.
