Dan Rogers enters race against Sen. Steve Green in District 2

Dan Rogers entered the race for Minnesota Senate District 2 as a DFL challenger, setting up a rematch of the region’s broader political divide in a seat that includes Beltrami County and stretches across much of north-central Minnesota. Rogers, a veteran, former educator and community leader, says he will focus on affordability and opportunity for families across the district.

That message lands in a district where state decisions reach well beyond Bemidji. Senate District 2 includes all or portions of Becker, Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Otter Tail and Wadena counties, so the contest will help determine how rural communities from lake country to the forest edge are represented in St. Paul. In Beltrami County, where both legislative districts 2A and 2B cover the county, the race is watched closely because it can influence the state-level debates over county services, taxes, housing and infrastructure that shape daily life here.

Republican Sen. Steve Green is running for re-election after first taking office on Jan. 3, 2023. Green’s campaign footprint in the region has already been reinforced by local Republicans, who unanimously endorsed him on March 7. The Beltrami County GOP also backed House incumbents Bidal Duran and Matt Bliss the same day, a sign that Republicans are moving early to defend their hold on the region’s legislative seats.

The numbers from the last election show why Green starts with an advantage. In 2022, he defeated DFL challenger Alan Roy by 60% to 40%, winning 20,397 votes to 13,590. That result showed the district’s recent Republican strength and gives Green a record to defend as both parties look toward the 2026 campaign.

The election calendar is already set. Minnesota primary elections are scheduled for Aug. 11, 2026, and the general election will follow on Nov. 3, 2026. With those dates ahead, the contest is likely to sharpen around the issues that hit Bemidji and the surrounding county most directly: the cost of living, the availability of homes, the condition of rural roads and broadband, and the level of state support flowing back to local governments.

For Beltrami County, the race carries added weight because the county’s political identity runs deep. Beltrami County was established on Feb. 28, 1866, organized in 1896, and Bemidji became the county seat on May 17, 1897. In a county with that history, the District 2 contest is not just another state race. It is a test of whether Democrats can break through in a region that has leaned Republican, or whether Green will keep the seat and continue shaping the state’s approach to rural north Minnesota.