Minnesota › Olmsted County › Olmsted County Commissioner District 2
2 candidates are tracked for Olmsted County Commissioner District 2 on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Dave Senjem and Gabe Perkins. Candidate information follows official Olmsted County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
David H. Senjem and Gabe Perkins advanced from the August 11 nonpartisan primary with about 56 and 29 percent, eliminating Karuna Ojanen, per the Minnesota Secretary of State's certified results; the top two meet on the November 3 ballot.
Former Rochester City Council member and a 20 year Minnesota state senator, per KTTC. He told KTTC his focus is on costs the state has shifted onto counties, including Medicaid and nutrition programs. He is described by KTTC as the sitting District 2 commissioner, but that could not be confirmed against an official county roster in this review, so incumbency is recorded as false.
2026 priorities
- Pushing back on state cost shifts for Medicaid and nutrition programs, per KTTC
- Affordable housing and environmental sustainability, per KTTC
- Mental health infrastructure including a possible new state hospital in Rochester, per KTTC
Former Minnesota Department of Transportation and American Cancer Society employee, according to KTTC. He told KTTC the county needs 18,000 to 20,000 more homes within the next 20 years.
2026 priorities
- Building substantially more housing over the next two decades, per KTTC
- Scrutinizing data center growth for utility cost, noise and environmental effects, per KTTC
