Howie Hanson is Minnesota’s Columnist, writing about power, money, sports and civic life across the state. This column is sponsored by Lyric Kitchen . Bar of Duluth. Minnesota Republicans face a familiar but unforgiving reality as they sort through a crowded field of gubernatorial hopefuls: winning more counties is no
Strip away the noise, and what remains is a familiar question Minnesota voters answer the same way every cycle: Who can assemble a winning coalition on this map — as it exists, not as either party wishes it existed?
A County-by-County Watch List
Klobuchar is not running to rescue a party or reset a narrative. She is running because the existing electoral terrain already fits her strengths. She knows where her votes are. She knows where she must hold ground. And she knows where simply limiting losses is enough.
Walz connected emotionally with parts of the Democratic base in a way Klobuchar never has. Progressive activists tolerated him because he felt authentic, grounded, unpretentious. Klobuchar does not inspire that same patience. Her politics are transactional, not aspirational.
Can Minnesota’s governor break the third-term curse, or will a weak GOP field finally stumble into competence? County by county, the map still favors the DFL.
