Could Minnesota play a major part in the United States Election?
With less than fifteen days to go, voters are casting their ballots in a state that could go to the Republicans or the Democrats.
University of Minnesota Political Science Professor Andrew Karch feels the state isn’t strong red or blue, it’s more purple.
Prof. Andrew Karch
Courtesy UMN
“I would distinguish between what the state has done in national elections, it’s voted democratic in presidential elections,” says Professor Karch. “For decades it’s really been fairly competitive. There have been Republican Governors, there have been Republican Senators. I think the 2016 election caught some folks off-guard, in terms of how competitive it ended up being. Both parties have a nice strong base of support in Minnesota.”
Karch gives an idea of what the polls tell him.
“Most of the polls I’ve seen suggest [Joe] Biden has a solid, but not insurmountable lead in Minnesota over President [Donald] Trump. Keep in mind the election is run on a state by state basis so I try to pay more attention to the state level polls.”
During the campaign, President Donald Trump has made a pair of trips to Duluth. Karch suggests that’s by design.
“Right now the twin cities [Minnesota, St. Paul] are pretty Liberal, whereas if you go to so-called greater Minnesota and The Iron Range, those are areas where Republicans have a stronger base of support,” notes Karch. “The Iron Range in particular [Duluth and surrounding areas] used to be Democrat territory, and now it’s shifting into the Republican column so it makes sense for Vice President [Mike] Pence and President [Donald] Trump to campaign there.”
Election Day is Tuesday November 3rd.
