Easter weekend, Edward Tambornino announced to family and friends that he was launching his campaign for the open US Senate seat in Minnesota this November. Not affiliated with any political party, he is entering a race that features 14 other candidates so far: three DFLers, ten Republicans, and one other independent. Tambornino and his wife, Courtney, live in Bloomington, MN, with their rescue dog, Cookie.
Announcing his candidacy, he wrote, “I know, it’s insane, political novice thinks he can beat the Parties at their own game. But if my candidacy accomplishes only one thing, that enough of us say what we know to be true, that the Parties are the problem, that they exist to perpetuate their own existence, they’ve rigged the game, they don’t really solve the country’s problems, the country is stuck, WE have to change it, my efforts will have been fruitful.”
Tambornino, 56, was born and raised in south Minneapolis playing hockey, baseball, and golf. He fondly recalls a particularly fun trip near the BWCA with the family of a 6th-grade friend, staying in an “A” frame cabin, canoeing all day, fishing, and grilling. He said, “Later, in my mid-20s, I was running youth and children’s programs in Philadelphia’s ghettos and convinced a buddy of mine to road-trip all the way to the BWCA for a 7-day back-country trip. As I said, the North Shore is the jewel of MN, in my opinion.”
Tambornino graduated from Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Religious Studies, summa cum laude.
“Summer of graduation, I participated in the Habitat for Humanity House Raising Walk of 1988. Prior to that, I’d always imagined just following my father into law practice. But walking 1200 miles from Portland, ME to Atlanta, GA and building 150 affordable housing units in twelve cities along the Eastern seaboard changed everything for me,” he said. He spent the next 12 years working with disadvantaged youth, families in crisis, and homeless populations. He also obtained a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary.
As he worked with disadvantaged populations and the local governments around them, it became clear to him that elections matter. So he got a Master’s of Public Administration from Syracuse University. “After graduation, I got recruited to a not-for-profit consulting firm to work in the Federal sector, on the Executive Branch side, trying to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government operations.”
Tambornino has argued that American democracy is in crisis because it has been hijacked by non-human interests: corporations, Artificial Intelligence, and extreme wealth concentration. To save our country, he says that we must return to “Human-First Governing,” the foundational idea that government’s only legitimate purpose is to “seek the best for the people.”
Americans are increasingly distancing themselves from the two major political parties. While many voters still “lean” one way or the other, the independent group is now larger than either the Democratic or Republican base. While 45% of Americans identify as independent, the number of people who actually cast a vote for a third-party or independent candidate is much lower.
While recognizing his candidacy is a long-shot bid, Tambornino said, “One of the reasons I’m running as an Independent is because I see the two-party system as part of the problem; it’s the reason we’re in this mess. I cannot sit in the stands any longer, I have to get on the field and make a difference for our Country.”
Official candidate filing begins on May 19, 2026. Each candidate must pay a $400 filing fee and submit a nominating petition with at least 2,000 signatures of registered voters.
You may find out more about the Tambornino campaign, and how you can get involved, at tamboforsenate.com.
