Editing Minnesota (section)

== Politics ==

{{Main|Politics of Minnesota}}
{{See also|List of political parties in Minnesota|United States congressional delegations from Minnesota|Minnesota's congressional districts|Political party strength in Minnesota}}
{{PresHead|place=Minnesota|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/compare.php?year=2008&fips=27&f=1&off=0&elect=0&type=state|title=Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Minnesota|publisher=US Election Atlas|access-date=October 27, 2022|author=Leip, David}}</ref>}}
{{PresRow|2024|Democratic|1,519,032|1,656,979|77,909|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|1,484,065|1,717,077|76,029|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|1,323,232|1,367,825|254,176|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|1,320,225|1,546,167|70,169|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|1,275,409|1,573,354|61,606|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|1,346,695|1,445,014|36,678|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|1,109,659|1,168,266|160,760|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|766,476|1,120,438|305,726|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|747,841|1,020,997|579,110|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|962,337|1,109,471|24,982|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1984|Democratic|1,032,603|1,036,364|15,482|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|873,241|954,174|224,538|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|819,395|1,070,440|60,096|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|898,269|802,346|41,037|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1968|Democratic|658,643|857,738|72,129|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|559,624|991,117|3,721|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|757,915|779,933|4,039|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|719,302|617,525|3,178|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|763,211|608,458|7,814|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|483,617|692,966|35,643|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|527,416|589,864|8,249|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|596,274|644,196|10,718|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|350,461|698,811|80,703|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|363,959|600,806|38,078|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|560,977|396,451|13,548|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1924|Republican|420,759|55,913|345,474|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|519,421|142,994|73,423|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1916|Republican|179,544|179,152|28,668|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1912|Progressive|64,334|106,426|163,459|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1908|Republican|195,843|109,401|26,060|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1904|Republican|216,651|55,187|21,022|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1900|Republican|190,461|112,901|12,949|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1896|Republican|193,503|139,735|8,524|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1892|Republican|122,823|100,920|43,495|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1888|Republican|142,492|104,385|16,408|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1884|Republican|111,685|70,065|8,267|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1880|Republican|93,902|53,315|3,553|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1876|Republican|72,955|48,587|2,533|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1872|Republican|55,708|35,211|0|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1868|Republican|43,722|28,096|0|Minnesota}}
{{PresRow|1864|Republican|25,055|17,367|0|Minnesota}}
{{PresFoot|1860|Republican|22,069|11,920|748|Minnesota}}

Minnesota is known for a politically active citizenry, and [[populism]] has been a long-standing force among the state's [[political party|political parties]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Leigh|last=Pomeroy|title=Populism Is Alive and Well in Southern Minnesota|year=2007|publisher=Minnesota Monitor|access-date=August 4, 2008|url=http://www.minnesotamonitor.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1728|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071008194926/http://www.minnesotamonitor.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1728 |archive-date = October 8, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| last = Grayson| first = Katharine| title = Study: Minnesota tops nation in voter turnout| publisher = Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal| date = September 18, 2006| url = http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2006/09/18/daily3.html?surround=lfn| access-date = August 4, 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150629190509/http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2006/09/18/daily3.html?surround=lfn| archive-date = June 29, 2015| url-status = live}}</ref> Minnesota has a consistently high [[voter turnout]]. In the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 U.S. presidential election]], 78.2% of eligible Minnesotans voted{{snd}}the highest percentage of any U.S. state{{snd}}versus the national average of 61.2%.<ref>{{cite web|author=Michael P. McDonald |title=2008 Unofficial Voter Turnout |publisher=United States Elections Project, [[George Mason University]] |url=http://elections.gmu.edu/preliminary_vote_2008.html |access-date=November 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113104435/http://elections.gmu.edu/preliminary_vote_2008.html |archive-date=November 13, 2008 }}</ref> That figure was surpassed in 2020, when 79.96% of registered voters participated in the general election.<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Voter Turnout Statistics |url=https://www.sos.state.mn.us/election-administration-campaigns/data-maps/historical-voter-turnout-statistics/ |website=Minnesota Secretary of State |publisher=State of Minnesota |access-date=May 27, 2021 |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518175300/https://www.sos.state.mn.us/election-administration-campaigns/data-maps/historical-voter-turnout-statistics/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Voters can register on [[Election Day (United States)|election day]] at their [[polling places]] with evidence of residency.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=201.061&year=2011|title=201.061 – 2011 Minnesota Statutes|website=www.revisor.mn.gov|access-date=February 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202220242/https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=201.061&year=2011|archive-date=February 2, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Hubert Humphrey]] brought national attention to the state with his address at the [[1948 Democratic National Convention]]. Minnesotans have consistently cast their Electoral College votes for Democratic presidential candidates since 1976, longer than any other state. Minnesota is the only state in the nation that did not vote for [[Ronald Reagan]] in either of his presidential campaigns. Minnesota has voted for the Democratic nominee in every presidential election since 1960, with the exception of 1972, when the state was won by Republican [[Richard Nixon]].

Both the Democratic and Republican parties have major-party status in Minnesota, but its state-level Democratic party has a different name, officially known as the [[Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party]] (DFL). It was formed out of a 1944 alliance of the Minnesota Democratic and [[Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party|Farmer–Labor]] parties.

The state has had active third-party movements. The [[Reform Party of the United States|Reform Party]], now the [[Independence Party of Minnesota|Independence Party]], was able to elect former mayor of [[Brooklyn Park, Minnesota|Brooklyn Park]] and [[professional wrestler]] [[Jesse Ventura]] to the [[Minnesota gubernatorial election, 1998|governorship in 1998]]. The [[Independence Party of Minnesota|Independence Party]] has received enough support to keep major-party status. The [[Green Party of Minnesota|Green Party]], while no longer having major-party status, has a large presence in municipal government,<ref name="GrnOffHldrs">{{cite web | title = Office Holders | publisher = Green Party of Minnesota | url = http://www.mngreens.org/officeholders.php | access-date = April 18, 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070107163820/http://www.mngreens.org/officeholders.php |archive-date = January 7, 2007}}</ref> notably in Minneapolis and Duluth, where it competes directly with the DFL party for local offices. Major-party status in Minnesota (which grants state funding for elections) is reserved for parties whose candidates receive five percent or more of the vote in any statewide election (e.g., governor, secretary of state, U.S. president).

The state's [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] seats was split in the early 1990s and in the [[108th United States Congress|108th]] and [[109th United States Congress|109th]] Congresses, Minnesota's congressional delegation was split, with four representatives and one senator from each party. In the 2006 mid-term election, Democrats were elected to all state offices, except governor and lieutenant governor, where Republicans [[Tim Pawlenty]] and [[Carol Molnau]] narrowly won reelection. The DFL posted double-digit gains in both houses of the legislature, elected Amy Klobuchar to the U.S. Senate, and increased the party's U.S. House caucus by one. Keith Ellison (DFL) was elected as the first [[African American]] U.S. Representative from Minnesota, as well as the first [[Muslim]] elected to Congress nationwide.<ref>{{cite news|title=Minnesota Democrat becomes first Muslim to win seat in Congress |newspaper=International Herald Tribune |agency=Associated Press |date=November 7, 2006 |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/08/america/NA_POL_US_Election_Muslim.php |access-date=December 11, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061128232133/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/08/america/NA_POL_US_Election_Muslim.php |archive-date=November 28, 2006 }}</ref> In 2008, DFLer and former comedian and radio talk show host [[Al Franken]] defeated incumbent Republican [[Norm Coleman]] in the U.S. Senate race by 312 votes out of three million cast.

In the 2010 election, Republicans took control of both chambers of the Minnesota legislature for the first time in 38 years and, with Mark Dayton's election, the DFL party took the governor's office for the first time in 20 years. Two years later, the DFL regained control of both houses, and with Dayton in office, the party had same-party control of both the legislative and executive branches for the first time since 1990. Two years later, the Republicans regained control of the Minnesota House,<ref>Pugmire, Tim, [http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/11/04/mn-house-election ''Minn. House: Republicans take control''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119134322/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/11/04/mn-house-election |date=November 19, 2017 }}, Minnesota Public Radio, November 5, 2014</ref> and in 2016, the GOP also regained control of the State Senate.<ref>MPR News Staff, [http://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/11/08/david-hann-gop-leader-minnesota-senate-defeated ''Republicans take full control of Minnesota Legislature''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217230327/http://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/11/08/david-hann-gop-leader-minnesota-senate-defeated |date=February 17, 2017 }}, Minnesota Public Radio, November 5, 2014</ref>

In 2018, the DFL retook control of the Minnesota House, while electing DFLer [[Tim Walz]] as Governor.

In a 2020 study, Minnesota was ranked as the 15th easiest state for citizens to vote in.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=J. Pomante II |first1=Michael |last2=Li |first2=Quan |title=Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020 |journal=Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy |date=December 15, 2020 |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=503–509 |doi=10.1089/elj.2020.0666 |s2cid=225139517 |doi-access=free  | issn = 1533-1296}}</ref>