Minnesota is weird. Politically, I mean. We just watched a cycle where the sitting Governor, Tim Walz, was on the national ticket as the Vice Presidential nominee, yet his own state didn't exactly give him a landslide victory lap. If you were looking at the election results 2024 MN hoping for a clear-cut "Blue Wall" statement, what you actually got was a messy, fascinating, and historically tight reality check.
The big headline? Kamala Harris won Minnesota. That’s not a surprise—the state hasn't gone for a Republican since Nixon in '72. But she won it by about 4.2 percentage points. Compare that to Joe Biden’s 7.1-point margin in 2020. That is a massive shift in a state that Democrats usually consider "safe." Basically, the "Walz bump" didn't really materialize the way the DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) hoped it would. Instead, almost every single county in the state shifted toward Donald Trump.
The Tie That Broke the Trifecta
While everyone was staring at the top of the ticket, the real drama was happening in the state house. For the last two years, Democrats have had total control—the "trifecta." They used it to pass a huge list of progressive priorities like universal school meals and paid family leave.
Republicans spent the whole year campaigning on one word: "balance." And honestly? It worked.
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The Minnesota House of Representatives ended up in a literal 67-67 tie. This has only happened once before, back in 1978. Because of that tie, the DFL lost their total grip on power. It wasn't just a loss; it was a nail-biter. Two specific races went to hand recounts:
- District 14B (St. Cloud): Dan Wolgamott (D) survived by 190 votes after a weird reporting error in Sherburne County initially made it look like he lost.
- District 54A (Shakopee): Brad Tabke (D) won by a mere 15 votes. Seriously. 15 people could have flipped the entire chamber.
Amy Klobuchar and the Iron Range Shift
Amy Klobuchar won her fourth term, which was expected. She beat Royce White by about 15 points. But here’s the thing: this was her "weakest" performance ever. Klobuchar is usually the "Queen of the North," pulling in massive numbers from rural areas and the Iron Range. This time? The Range continued its steady slide toward the GOP.
It’s a vibe shift. The old-school blue-collar DFLer is becoming a rarer breed, replaced by a Republican base that feels the metro-area Democrats don't speak their language anymore. Even though Klobuchar won, the margin suggests that the "Klobuchar coalition" is fraying at the edges.
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What happened in the U.S. House races?
The status quo mostly held firm for our Congressional delegation.
- 2nd District: Angie Craig held off Joe Teirab. This is always a "battleground," but Craig has figured out how to win in the suburbs.
- 3rd District: Kelly Morrison won the seat vacated by Dean Phillips, keeping that suburban area blue.
- The Rest: No seats flipped. Tom Emmer (R) and Michelle Fischbach (R) sailed through, while Ilhan Omar (D) and Betty McCollum (D) kept their urban strongholds.
The Power Sharing Mess of 2025
So, what happens when a state house is tied 67-67? Total chaos, at least for a while. The DFL tried to boycott the start of the session to prevent a quorum, but eventually, everyone had to grow up and make a deal.
The agreement they finally reached in early 2025 is kind of a "Co-Speaker" situation. Lisa Demuth (R) and Melissa Hortman (D) have to basically share the car keys. Republicans got the gavel for the first half, and committees are co-chaired. If you like gridlock, you’re going to love the next two years in St. Paul. If you want big, sweeping legislation? You’re probably out of luck.
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Why the GOP is Smiling (Even Without the Win)
Republicans didn't win the state, but they proved Minnesota isn't a deep-blue haven. Trump flipped four counties that had gone for Biden or were at least much closer in 2020. The rural-urban divide is now a canyon. You’ve got the Twin Cities and Duluth acting as blue islands in a sea of red that is creeping closer to the suburbs.
Voter turnout was still high—around 76.3%—but that was actually a drop from the record-breaking 2020 numbers. It seems like the "enthusiasm gap" hit both sides, but it hit the DFL a little harder in the places where they couldn't afford to lose ground.
Actionable Takeaways for MN Residents
- Watch the Special Elections: With such a tight margin, a single retirement or illness in the State House can flip the majority. Stay tuned to your local district news.
- Expect Moderate Budgets: The days of multi-billion dollar spending sprees or massive tax cuts are over for now. Everything has to be a compromise.
- Engage with Co-Chairs: If you have an issue you care about, you now have to lobby two people—a Democrat and a Republican—who likely both have a say in whether your bill even gets a hearing.
Minnesota remains a "purple-leaning-blue" state, but the 2024 results show that the "leaning" part is getting a lot more strenuous. The 2026 midterms for Governor are already looking like they’ll be a absolute dogfight.
To keep track of how this 67-67 split affects your local taxes or schools, you should regularly check the Minnesota House of Representatives official site for committee schedules and bill statuses.