Republicans endorse Adam Schwarze for U.S. Senate at state convention

Adam Schwarze secured the Minnesota Republican Party’s U.S. Senate endorsement at the state convention in Duluth after six ballots, giving the former Navy SEAL officer and Marine infantryman the party’s backing in a race that is already shaping up as a test of whether Republicans can break their long losing streak in statewide contests.

The convention ran May 29-30, 2026, at the Duluth Entertainment Center, where delegates needed 60% support to endorse a Senate candidate. Schwarze led the first round of balloting, with Michele Tafoya and Royce White also in the top tier, before emerging on the final ballot with nearly 63% of the vote. Tafoya entered the race on Jan. 20 and brought higher name recognition and stronger fundraising, but Schwarze ultimately cleared the bar the party set for its nomination process.

For northern Minnesota voters, including Republicans in Beltrami County, the endorsement puts Schwarze at the center of a contest built around military service, Minnesota identity and frustration with Washington. Party materials describe him as a lifelong Minnesotan, a 21-year military veteran with nine deployments and service in more than 70 countries. Schwarze has cast himself as a fighter against the Washington establishment, while party chairman Alex Plechash praised Schwarze’s service and said he was the kind of leader Minnesota needed in Washington.

The endorsement also changes the shape of the race against the Democrats. Tina Smith is not seeking reelection, leaving an open U.S. Senate seat, and Democrats have held both Minnesota Senate seats since 2009. Republicans have not won a statewide office since Tim Pawlenty’s reelection in 2006, and since then they have lost 10 races for governor and U.S. Senate combined. That record makes the party’s convention endorsement more than a ceremonial win: it is an effort to unify activists behind one candidate before the August 11 primary and the fall campaign.

Still, the convention did not erase every divide. Party activists often follow the endorsement in primary races, but several candidates have signaled they will continue on to the primary anyway. Schwarze’s victory gives him the official Republican banner, yet Tafoya’s entry and White’s presence on the early ballots showed that the Senate race still has room for competition inside the GOP before Minnesota voters make the final call.