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Election 2024
Sarah Thamer and Estelle Timar-Wilcox

Minnesotans' reactions to presidential outcome reflect sharp divide at the ballot box

a woman in a cowboy hat and a man in a ball cap
Marie Erickson shows her Make America Great Again cowboy hat during a Minnesota GOP watch party at the Mall of America Radisson Blu, and Minnesota DFL data intern Khoi Phan shows off his Harris Walz camo hat during a DFL watch party in St. Paul on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
Nicole Neri and Ben Hovland | MPR News

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At the ballot box on Tuesday, and in post-election comments on Wednesday, Minnesota voters were sharply divided on the presidential race.

Republican Donald Trump didn’t win Minnesota on his way to a second term in the White House — he trailed Democrat Kamala Harris in the state by about 51 percent to 47 percent.

But that outcome — even with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as Harris’ running mate — was an improvement for Trump over 2020 when he finished about 8 points behind Joe Biden.

Daniela de los Rios of Minneapolis was among the Minnesotans who voted for Trump, saying Wednesday that she was swayed by the “hope in people’s eyes when they talked about (him) winning.” The 26-year-old said she hadn’t voted in the previous two presidential elections.

De los Rios said she liked the energy of the Trump campaign, and its inclusion of “innovators” like businessman Elon Musk, who she said wouldn’t be given opportunities to contribute under a Democratic administration.

A second Trump presidency, she said, “just feels like it’s going to be way more innovative and what we could use right now, than just staying the same.”

Dominique Evans, 32 and of Minneapolis, voted for Harris and said she feared that Trump’s victory means some of the policies from the Biden administration — like student loan forgiveness — will be eliminated.

“I’m afraid that we’re going to lose a lot of things, especially being a woman,” said Evans. “I feel like we’re losing a lot of freedom, a lot of resources. It’s really hard to plan for the future right now, because I can’t really understand what’s next and how much is going to impact me and the rest of my lineage.”

Harris supporter Ryan Bibo was at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Wednesday morning, and said he was surprised at how “resounding” the GOP success appeared to be after what seemed like a close campaign.

Of a second Trump presidency, Bibo said, “I think at the end of the day it’ll hopefully be a replay of last time, where the crazier things didn’t happen, and he was mostly able to be kept in check.” Bibo expressed particular concern about Trump’s economic policies, including tariffs.

Bibo said he saw a silver lining in the quick, definitive outcome of the race — avoiding the potential for weeks of uncertainty and unrest.