On his way back to the White House, President-elect Donald Trump did not capture the state of Minnesota, which still has not voted for a Republican candidate since Richard Nixon in 1972.
However, compared to 2020, Trump shaved his margin of defeat from roughly seven points to four points. County-by-county results also show notable gains in Greater Minnesota. In all, the Trump-Vance ticket flipped four counties red this election: Winona, Nicollet, Carlton and Blue Earth County.
Those last two really sting for the Democrats and the Minnesota DFL.
According to the Cook Political Report, Carlton County voters had not chosen a Republican president since Herbert Hoover in 1928. Additionally, Blue Earth County is Gov. Tim Walz's home county, where he served for years as a teacher and coach in the county seat of Mankato.
Preliminary data shows Trump defeating the Harris-Walz ticket by fewer than 500 votes in Blue Earth County this year, after losing by more than 1,000 to President Biden in 2020.
