| The narrow election blocked Gov. Tim Walz from becoming the third Minnesotan to reach the vice president role. Walz will return to St. Paul and is set to serve out the remaining two years of his term after spending months crisscrossing the country campaigning with Harris. Walz was added to the democratic ticket in August and has spent most of his time on the road since then. He is midway through a second term, which he won in 2022. Minnesotans Hubert H. Humphrey and Walter Mondale both held the title of vice president decades ago as part of Democratic administrations. Both went on to run for president and lost those races.
A second Trump term comes with a powerful ally in a solidly Republican U.S. Senate made up of more senators cut in his mold. That’s important because the Senate has unique responsibility of confirming cabinet secretaries and judges, including the U.S. Supreme Court should there be vacancies there. In other words, Trump is positioned to do more than he could in his first White House stint. Trump pointed to the “MAGA movement” in lifting several Republicans to the Senate so don’t expect many departures from his policy wishlist.
The DFL will retain a majority in the Minnesota Senate. Former DFL state Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart won the only state Senate seat up for grabs this year, beating Republican Kathleen Fowke in the Twin Cities west metro district with 52 percent of the vote. Minnesota Senate District 45 was left open after former state Sen. Kelly Morrison stepped down this spring to run for Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District. Her departure left the Senate split 33-33.
The Minnesota House will be either in Republican hands or very, very close. Republicans won open seats on the Iron Range and in Winona. They knocked off at least one incumbent in DFL Rep. Jeff Brand of St. Peter. And several other incumbents were on the ropes or just barely ahead pending possible recounts. Republicans defended the key seats that the DFL had targeted. House Speaker Melissa Hortman wasn’t ready to concede defeat even as House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth said the gavels would change hands. Keep up with the latest here.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar handily won her reelection bid against Republican challenger Royce White. Klobuchar beat White, an ex-NBA player, with 56 percent of the vote. She was first elected in 2006. Klobuchar went into the campaign with a history of big wins and a huge financial advantage. She raised nearly $21 million by the end of the last reporting period in September, while White raised a little under $449,000. Although White has been a strong supporter of Trump, the former president never endorsed him and the Minnesota GOP was hesitant to throw resources and support behind him. She will return to Washington in the minority in the U.S. Senate.
Minnesota’s congressional delegation will have only one new member: Democratic Rep.-elect Kelly Morrison in the 3rd District. She will succeed retiring Rep. Dean Phillips. Here is a notable milestone: For the first time, women will hold a majority of the seats with four Democrats and one Republican among them. Along with U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, there are seven women to three men in Minnesota's federal delegation. It was about two decades ago when U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum was the only woman in the delegation.
In Minnesota politics, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Tuesday’s election resulted in sweeping victories for Republicans across the nation, but an initial look at Minnesota’s elections suggests that voters in the North Star State were not so moved. The results of many races in the state look strikingly similar to what we saw the last time around. About 45 percent of Minnesotans voted for Trump, similar to 2016 and 2020. Despite (or maybe because of, depending on your opinion) the addition of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to the Democratic ticket, the result closely mirrored President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in Minnesota.
Minnesota voters passed a new constitutional amendment for divvying up lottery money for natural resources. The vote will approve a renewal of a constitutional amendment that dedicates revenue from the state’s lottery toward protecting the environment and natural resources. The amendment was first approved in 1988 and extended 10 years later. Since 1991, more than $1 billion in lottery proceeds have been funneled into more than 1,700 projects around the state. The amendment will increase the amount of money that can be spent from the fund each year by an additional 1.5 percent. The extra revenue will fund a new community grant program designed for underserved communities and organizations. | 
