Reality Check: How Minnesota Voted in the 2018 Midterm Election
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota's midterm election is behind us, and we are now getting a much clearer picture of what happened.
Based on new maps and state election data, Women, minorities and anti-President Donald Trump voters held the key to the election.
Democrat Tim Walz easily won the Minnesota governor's race. But for many voters, the election was also about Trump. The president campaigned in Minnesota twice, and it helped -- a little.
Two greater Minnesota congressional districts flipped from blue to red: The 8th District in northern Minnesota, and the 1st District in southern Minnesota.
But two metro-area districts went red to blue: The 2nd District south of St. Paul, and the 3rd District in the suburbs south and west of Minneapolis.
But in Minnesota statewide races, like the United States Senate, voters went hard Democrat.
The mostly-red map of Trump's near-victory in 2016 turned mainly blue in 2018 with Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar.
Democrat Tina Smith's special election to the U.S. Senate was not a sweeping, but Smith won in the heavily-populated urban centers.
Walz got more votes than any other candidate for governor in state history, with almost 1.4 million votes. And he did it by flipping Trump's red precincts from 2016 to blue Walz districts in 2018.
Post-election data show Minnesota saw a blue wave in the land of 10,000 lakes. More people identified as Democrats, including more women, more people of color and more anti-Trump voters.
The takeaways?
There Was No Young Voter Surge
Exit polls show about 11 percent of 18-29 year olds voted. The highest voter turnout? As usual, 50 and older: 64 Percent.
Health Care Was The Most Important Issue
More than double the number of voters who said immigration.
Most Voters Disapprove Of Donald Trump
But of those who disapprove, 90 percent voted Democrat.
Here Are Some Of The Sources That We Used in This Reality Check:
MN Secretary of State Election Results, 1992-2018
2016 MN Congressional District Maps
2018 MN Congressional District Maps
St. Paul Pioneer Press Analysis: Gov-elect Tim Walz Flips Trump Districts