Suburbs, record turnout lead to Republican rout
ST. PAUL It was a tale of two political parties in Minnesota in the wake of Election Day.
Resurgent Democrats tightened their grip on the governor's office and two U.S. Senate seats, and wincing Republicans were shut out of statewide contests for a 12th straight year and swept out of power in the Minnesota House.
Democrats cruised to easy victories up and down the ballot, as Tim Walz won an open governor's race by more than 11 percentage points over Republican Jeff Johnson. U.S. Sen. Tina Smith won voters' approval to finish former Sen. Al Franken's term by a similar margin. After fears that he would lose a race for attorney general marred by allegations that he once physically abused an ex-girlfriend and his opponent's controversial legal career, Keith Ellison won the race by nearly 4 percentage points.
Behind each election lies a troubling and familiar trend for Republicans: They keep losing ground in Minnesota's metropolitan core and surrounding suburbs.
Read more: https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/minnesota/2018/11/08/minnesota-election-results-republicans-lost-big-record-turnout-midterm/1930979002/