U.S. presidential race
Minnesota polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, and Joe Biden won Minnesota’s 10 electoral votes shortly after 11 p.m.
This result solidifies Minnesota’s part in electing a new president in the critical 2020 election, should Biden win the national race.
“(Biden) is someone who has this extraordinary capacity for bringing our country together, which is exactly what our country needs right now,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in a speech to the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Tuesday night.
Although many states may not report final results by the end of election night, a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that Minnesota absentee ballots arriving after Election Day should be separated from other ballots in case they are later invalidated by a final court order.
This ruling doesn’t outright block Minnesota’s seven-day extension for counting absentee ballots, but puts the grace period in danger.
At midday Tuesday, the state reported that some 283,000 requested absentee ballots hadn’t yet been returned.
Trump narrowly lost to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in Minnesota’s 2016 race; in an effort to clinch Minnesota, Trump held several rallies in urban areas, including a visit to Rochester on Oct. 30. On the same day, Biden held a drive-in rally at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
Despite the victory for Minnesota Democrats, many Minnesota Republican Party members remain confident on the national scale.
“He’s (Trump’s) going to win everything, he’s going to win reelection,” Minnesota National Committeeman for the Republican Party Max Rymer said at the Minnesota GOP event Tuesday night.
U.S. House
Democrat Ilhan Omar won reelection in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, which includes all of Minneapolis, and Betty McCollum won in Minnesota’s 4th Congressional District, which includes all of St. Paul.
“Thank you to Minnesota’s 5th for honoring me with their vote. I am so excited to get to work alongside you,” Omar said at the DFL’s election night event.
U.S. Senate
Democratic Sen. Tina Smith was reelected to contribute to Democrats’ attempt to regain control of the Republican-dominated Senate.
Republicans, who have held a 53-45 majority, sought to retain 23 seats in this year’s Senate race, while Democrats defended 12.
“I never thought this would be an easy election. I said that from the beginning,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said. “I still believe that tonight.”
Mia Laube can be reached at mia.laube@stthomas.edu.
Emily Haugen can be reached at haug7231@stthomas.edu.
Song Johansen can be reached at song.johansen@stthomas.edu.
Taylor Shupe can be reached at taylor.shupe@stthomas.edu.
Annie Terry and Burke Spizale contributed to this report.