As we wait for several states to finish counting ballots, the results for Minnesota became clearer Wednesday night. While President Trump secured the highest number of votes a Republican has ever received in Minnesota, nearly 1.48 million votes, the same is true for Joe Biden on the Democrat side of the equation, eclipsing 1.7 million votes. U.S. Senator Tina Smith won her re-election bid and now enjoys a full 6-year term in the US Senate.
The Blue Wall
Minnesota’s 4th and 5th Congressional Districts comprised of St. Paul and Minneapolis, respectively, continue to hold a fortress of DFL voters who are not only showing up for Presidential elections, but mid-terms as well. The CD 4&5 “blue wall” in Minnesota has prevented the GOP from winning a statewide office since 2006.
GOP Success
Still, all is not lost for the GOP in Minnesota as they appear to retain control of the state Senate, albeit with a net loss of 1 seat and back to the thinnest of majorities, 34-33, heading into January.
Likewise, the House GOP surprised many with their election week success, picking up 6 seats and reducing the DFL’s 75-59 majority to 69-65.
Ticket-Splitting
The 2020 election showed once again that polling data continues to struggle with understating Republican support. Then again, sifting through Minnesota’s election results does show some down ballot “ticket-splitting” as several GOP candidates outperformed the President in several suburban races, despite still losing their races.
Get Ready to Work
The bottom line is it was a close election and the margins for the various majorities, here in Minnesota and nationally, are tighter than before. Managing our way through the pandemic and economic crisis will take bi-partisan work.
As much as we need the President-elect to bring the country together, we as citizens need to be willing to stop the incessant partisan fighting and help our leaders find common ground and make the tough decisions to get us back on track.
Balancing the state’s budget with a massive deficit, between a divided legislature, is a big test. Let’s get ready to work.
