Cook County Sample Ballot & Voter Guide 2026

In KAXE's questionnaire he centers affordability, naming cost of living and housing first. Economic opportunity and healthcare access follow there. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026.

KAXE identifies her as the sitting District 1 commissioner, but incumbency could not be confirmed against an official county roster within this review, so it is recorded as false. She told KAXE her focus is an aging population, the housing shortage and high property taxes. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026.

David Mills is the Cook County Commissioner for District 3 and serves as Vice-Chair of the county board, per the county's official website. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026.

Roger Westerlind appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Cook County Commissioner District 3, per the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filings. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026; the Secretary of State's candidate filing is the only verifiable source for Roger Westerlind.

Christopher Homyak appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Cook County Commissioner District 5, per the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filings. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026; the Secretary of State's candidate filing is the only verifiable source for Christopher Homyak.

Braidy Powers is the Cook County Auditor-Treasurer, serving as the county's chief financial officer, election supervisor and property tax administrator, per Cook County's government website. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026.

Ty Backlund is a Cook County Sheriff's deputy running for sheriff in 2026 to succeed retiring Sheriff Pat Eliasen, per WTIP. He served in the U.S. Army Civil Affairs in Afghanistan, then worked as a police officer in Mesa, Arizona, and as a Cook County probation officer before joining the Sheriff's Office in 2023. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026.

Ben Hallberg is chief deputy of the Cook County Sheriff's Office and a 23-year resident of Grand Marais, per WTIP. The county board appointed him interim sheriff in March 2026 after Sheriff Pat Eliasen resigned, per WTIP. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026.

Jeanne Peterson is the appointed Cook County Attorney, with the office since 2012, handling the county's adult criminal caseload, per the county's government site. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026.

Rachel C. Sullivan is a judge of the Minnesota 6th Judicial District Court. Appointed Chief Judge of the Sixth Judicial District July 27, 2018, by Governor Mark Dayton and elected in 2020, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Previously an attorney at Prebich & Sullivan, P.C. and a law clerk to the Minnesota Court of Appeals; became Chief Judge of the Sixth Judicial District effective July 1, 2026, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

Robert C. Friday is a judge of the Minnesota 6th Judicial District Court. Appointed March 9, 2018, by Governor Mark Dayton and elected in 2020, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Previously director of advocacy for Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

Jessica J. Fralich is a judge of the Minnesota 6th Judicial District Court. Appointed Nov. 4, 2024, by Governor Tim Walz, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Previously Duluth city attorney, a Sixth Judicial District referee and an assistant St. Louis County attorney, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

Steven Bradley Hanke is a judge of the Minnesota 6th Judicial District Court. Appointed to the Lake County District Court December 4, 2023, by Governor Tim Walz, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Previously interim and deputy city attorney for the City of Duluth, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

Rebekka Lynn Stumme is a judge of the Minnesota 6th Judicial District Court. Appointed to the Carlton County District Court May 31, 2019, by Governor Tim Walz and elected in 2020, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Previously an assistant St. Louis County attorney and assistant public defender for the Sixth Judicial District, per the Minnesota Judicial Branch. No campaign website was found as of September 25, 2026.

Stanley W. Tull appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Cook County Soil and Water Supervisor District 2, per the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filings. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026; the Secretary of State's candidate filing is the only verifiable source for Stanley W. Tull.

Gail A. Gieseke appears on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Cook County Soil and Water Supervisor District 4, per the Minnesota Secretary of State's candidate filings. No campaign website was found as of September 6, 2026; the Secretary of State's candidate filing is the only verifiable source for Gail A. Gieseke.

Grant Hauschild is the sitting state senator for District 3 whose earlier career included rural economic development work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and service as a labor policy aide to U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, per the campaign site. He also served as a local city councilor before his election to the Senate and co-chairs the bipartisan Civility Caucus in the Minnesota Senate, per the campaign site.

Andrea Zupancich is the Republican candidate for Minnesota Senate District 3, per KAXE. She has served as Mayor of Babbitt for nine years and previously on the Babbitt City Council, and has served as a commissioner on the St. Louis County Board of Adjustment and Planning Commission. She owns z'Up North Realty.

Roger Skraba is a business owner who represents District 3A in the Minnesota House. He holds a B.A. in construction management from North Dakota State University, according to the Minnesota House of Representatives. First elected in 2022, he is now in his second term and co-chairs Legacy Finance as vice chair, also serving on Transportation Finance and Policy, Capital Investment, and Housing Finance and Policy.

Aaron Kania has worked as a law enforcement officer and a wildland firefighter and currently works in forest and wilderness management in the Northland, per the campaign site. He comes from a union family, per the campaign site.