| MINNESOTA | 10 Electoral Votes |
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| Population
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau) Total Resident Population, July 1, 2019 est. 5,639,632 Registration, Nov. 3, 2020 at 7.a.m. 3,588,299 > Minnesota has: 87 counties. Largest counties: Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Washington. Five largest cities: Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth, Bloomington. Government
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State of Minnesota Secretary of State MN DFL Party Star Tribune  Land of 10,000 Lakes |
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Minnesota has had Election Day registration since 1974. Absentee Voting by Mail or In-Person: Sept. 18-Nov. 2, 2020. + "Due to COVID-19, absentee ballots postmarked by election day will be counted if they arrive at the election office within seven days." - MN SOS > Elections Calendar Litigation 1,909,701 absentee ballots accepted. |
Ballot Access: Non-major party presidential candidates must obtain 2,000 signatures during the filing period, May 19-Aug. 18, 2020. > |
Overview:
In 2016
Trump-Pence came close to winning the state's 10
electoral votes, and in 2020 Republicans put in a
determined effort here. On Sept. 18, the first day of
voting, both Biden and Trump made visits to the state,
Biden touring and speaking at a carpenter training
center in a suburb of Duluth and Trump holding a Great
American Comeback rally at Bemidji airport. Both
candidates were also in the state on Oct. 30; Trump
rallied at the airport in Rochester and Biden did a
drive-in event at the State Fairgrounds. The
campaigns and groups invested the ground game and
advertising.
Republicans
spotlighted a couple of Minnesotans at their
convention. My
Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, a Minnesota co-chair, was
one of Trump's most visible and vocal supporters,
including during the post-election. Ultimately the Trump campaign's Minnesota gambit did not pay off, and the resources might better have been invested in a tighter state such as Georgia. Biden-Harris won with a plurality of 233,012 votes (7.12 percentage points), marking a shift of 5.60 percentage points to the Democrats compared to 2016. Biden added four counties (Clay, Blue Earth, Nicollet and Winona) to Clinton's nine, carrying 13 counties to 74 for Trump. Secretary of State Steve Simon reported "the highest percentage turnout since 1956, and the highest total number of voters ever." Minnesota was the site of one of the defining incidents of the 2020 election cycle, the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25. Floyd's death triggered weeks of unrest nationwide (+), bringing widespread attention to the need for racial justice and reforms (+). Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who made a run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, was seen as a top prospect in Biden's vice presidential search but her odds dropped sharply following Floyd's killing. She served as surrogate for Biden during the Fall campaign. Trump | Biden || visits || advertising || D | R G || [MNSOS] BALLOT [PDF] See also: Alston W. Herndon. "Minnesota Seemed Ripe for a Trump Breakout. It Has Not Arrived." New York Times, Sept. 13, 2020. |
| [State Primary: August 11, 2020] |
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| Democrats
Biden 287,553 (38.64%), Sanders 222,431 (29.89%), Warren 114,674 (15.41%), Bloomberg 61,882 (8.32%), Klobuchar 41,530 (5.58%)...Total 744,198. details 91 Delegates: 49 District, 16 At-Large, 10 PLEO and 16 Unpledged. |
Republicans
Trump 137,275 (97.67%), Write In 3,280 (2.33%). Total: 140,555. |
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| 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 |
| Clinton 43.48% |
Clinton 51.10% |
Gore 47.91% |
Kerry 51.09% |
Obama 54.06% |
Obama 52.65% |
Clinton 46.44% |
and
the details...
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| Voting Eligible
Population*: 3,966,155. VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 74.2%. Minnesota has had Election Day registration since 1974. Absentee Voting by Mail or In-Person: Sept. 23-Nov. 7, 2016. Note: An Aug. 2016 report by The Pew Charitable Trusts ranks Minnesota "the number one state for having the least amount of registration or absentee ballot problems (+)." |
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Overview:
The Republican presidential
ticket had not carried Minnesota since Richard Nixon
won in 1972, but Trump-Pence came very close to
achieving a win in 2016. In September there was a bit of a kerfuffle over Trump being placed on the ballot, but the state Supreme Court quickly settled the matter (+). In the closing days of the campaign Trump and Pence each visited the state (New York magazine's "Daily Intelligencer" (Nov. 5) described the visits as a "sign of desperation," but clearly the Trump campaign saw there was a possibility of winning). There were a handful of Democratic visits. The Clinton campaign had very small footprint in Minnesota compared to election cycles going back to 2000, but it was enough to win. Clinton-Kaine prevailed with a plurality of 44,765 votes (1.52 percentage points). Their vote total was off by 11.5% (178,451 votes) from Obama's 2012 total, while the Republican ticket obtained almost the same share of the vote as Romney had in 2012. Clinton carried just nine counties (Cook, St. Louis, Lake and Carlton in the NE tip; Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota and Washington in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area; and Olmsted Co. in the SE) to 78 for Trump. Independent candidate Evan McMullin secured the backing of the Independence Party of MN in August (+) and achieved his third best showing in the state. Minnesota had the highest turnout as a percentage of voting eligilble population of any state. General Election Visits Clinton | Trump BALLOT [PDF] |
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| Voting Eligible
Population*: 3,876,752. VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 75.7%. Absentee Voting: Sept. 21-Nov. 5, 2012. + MN SOS: Voter Information |
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2012 Overview The Republican presidential ticket has not carried Minnesota since Richard Nixon won in 1972, and that continued for 2012. Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who ran a short-lived presidential campaign of his own, and who was on Sen. John McCain's short list in 2008, was frequently mentioned as a potential running mate for Romney until Romney selected another midwesterner, Rep. Paul Ryan (WI). Although the Romney campaign ran ads in Minnesota late in the campaign, observers suggested they were aimed at influencing voters in Wisconsin. Obama-Biden won with a plurality of 225,942 (7.69 percentage points), carrying 28 counties to 59 for Romney-Ryan. Minnesota had the highest turnout of any state as a percentage of voting eligilble population. General Election Details Obama | (Romney) BALLOT [PDF] |
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| Voting Eligible
Population*: 3,721,943. VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 78.2%. Total Registration: 3,199,981 plus same day registrants: 542,140. |
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2008
Overview The 2008 Republican National Convention, held at Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis-St. Paul from Sept. 1-4, 2008, helped boost the state's economy, but couldn't tip the Minnesota into the Republican column. Obama won with a plurality of 297,945 votes (10.24 percentage points). Much of that came from the two biggest counties, Hennepin and Ramsey, where Obama obtained a total of 603,932 votes to 319,996 for McCain. All told McCain carried 45 counties to 42 for Obama. General Election Details Obama/Allies | McCain/Allies | Nader | Baldwin Photos: Politics at the Minnesota State Fair |
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| Voting Eligible
Population*: 3,609,185. VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 78.4%.
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2004 Overview Kerry widened the margin upon Gore's 2000 showing, gaining a plurality of 98,319 votes (3.48 percentage points). Kerry finished ahead in the 4th, 5th and 8th CDs. At the meeting of the Electoral College on Dec. 13, 2004 Minnesota earned an asterisk when one of the 10 electors voted for John Edwards for president. |
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| Voting Eligible Population*: 3,506,432. VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 69.5%. |
Total Voters: 2,457,156. |
2000
Overview Bush made a close race for Minnesota's 10 electoral votes, but on Election Day Gore came out on top, gaining a plurality of 58,607 votes (2.41 percentage points). Gore carried 16 counties to 71 for Bush. The last Republican presidential candidate to carry Minnesota was Richard Nixon, seeking re-election in 1972 against George McGovern. Yet in October at least one poll showed Bush ahead. The state experienced a crush of activity in the closing weeks of the campaign. Nader supporters hoped to obtain as much as 10 percent, which, had it happened could have tipped the state to Bush. Gov. Ventura, who has roiled Minnesota politics since his upset win in 1998, remained neutral in the presidential race. General Election Activity |
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1992
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1996
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