Tim Walz Hometown Goes MAGA

In a surprising turn of events this week, Kamala Harris, the Democrat vice-presidential candidate, lost Blue Earth County in Minnesota—home to her running mate, Governor Tim Walz. Walz had spent nearly two decades living and working in the county, yet Harris fell short here, with the county voting for President Donald Trump by a narrow margin of 49.6% to 48.3%.

Blue Earth County had supported President Joe Biden in 2020, voting for him 50.84% to 46.41% over Trump. In 2016, however, the county backed Trump, defeating Hillary Clinton by a similar margin of 46.64% to 42.95%. Before Trump’s victories, Blue Earth County had voted for the Democratic candidate in the previous three presidential elections, demonstrating the county’s history of swinging back and forth between the two major parties.

Tim Walz, a native of Nebraska, spent years teaching social studies and coaching football in Mankato, part of Blue Earth County. He represented the region in Congress for 12 years before being elected governor in 2018, and re-elected in 2022. Despite Walz’s deep ties to the area, his influence could not carry Harris to victory in his home county.

Interestingly, Walz’s home county of Cherry in Nebraska, which also voted overwhelmingly for Trump in 2020, backed the president by an even more striking 87.5% to 11.4%. This stark contrast between his home state and his adopted home in Minnesota is telling, especially given the overall trend in Minnesota, which has been a reliably blue state for decades.

In the state as a whole, Minnesota again favored Harris over Trump, 51% to 46.8%, continuing the state’s decades-long streak of voting Democrat in every presidential election since 1972. Still, the loss of Blue Earth County, which has been a bellwether for Minnesota’s political landscape, signals that even traditionally blue areas are increasingly willing to consider conservative options at the ballot box.