MINNEAPOLIS — On his way back to the White House, President-elect Donald Trump did not capture the state of Minnesota, which still has not voted for a Republican candidate since Richard Nixon in 1972.

However, compared to 2020, Trump shaved his margin of defeat from roughly seven points to four points. County-by-county results also show notable gains in Greater Minnesota. In all, the Trump-Vance ticket flipped four counties red this election: Winona, Nicollet, Carlton and Blue Earth County. 

Those last two really sting for the Democrats and the Minnesota DFL. 

According to the Cook Political Report, Carlton County voters had not chosen a Republican president since Herbert Hoover in 1928. Additionally, Blue Earth County is Gov. Tim Walz’s home county, where he served for years as a teacher and coach in the county seat of Mankato. 

Preliminary data shows Trump defeating the Harris-Walz ticket by fewer than 500 votes in Blue Earth County this year, after losing by more than 1,000 to President Biden in 2020.

Yvonne Simon, the chair of the Blue Earth County Republicans, credited her organization’s ground game for flipping the county red. 

“It was a lot of hard work. We did a lot of phone calling, door-knocking, events to create awareness. We also had a campaign office in Mankato where people could come in and get signs,” Simon said. “What we were hearing in the campaign office was what you heard at the national level too — economy, economy, economy.”

Simon said the results in Blue Earth County specifically sent a message about Gov. Walz, who attended a Mankato West football game last month and had local supporters gather to watch election results on Tuesday evening.

“Walz, in our area from my experience in living here, is not exactly appreciated for what he thinks and takes us for granted for,” Simon said. “That type of value that the people of Blue Earth County had placed on what he did or didn’t do, turned it, I believe.”

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Still, the margins were razor-thin in the four counties that Trump flipped red this year. He won all of those counties by 2,000 votes or fewer, and in Nicollet County — which borders Blue Earth — Trump won by about 100 votes (with 95 percent of precincts reporting, per NBC News). Also, it should be noted that Trump’s overall performance in Minnesota still did not match his margins in 2020, when he came within two percentage points of defeating Hillary Clinton.

Even so, Democratic strategist and former DFL legislator Jeff Hayden said Trump’s gains are a danger sign for his party.

“I think it really speaks to the issue in Minnesota, and nationally, where Democrats have — for some reason — really lost this relationship with working-class people,” Hayden said. “Especially in Minnesota where the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is really part of our creed. And for whatever reason, our message is not resonating with those kind of blue-collar, labor groups out there.”

The results in Minnesota mirror national trends, where the Harris ticket significantly underperformed compared to Biden in 2020.

“We have to do some real work in listening to people,” Hayden said, “and articulating what our platform is — and why we think this is better.”

ST PAUL, Minn. — Voters in St. Paul have voted against a property tax increase that would have provided childcare at no cost to low-income families. Nearly 60% of voters voted against that increase.

Along with low-income families, other families would have seen childcare available on a sliding scale.

In the past, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter has said the measure won’t work, telling KARE11 in October that, “based on my judgment, it can’t be done.” 

“If I’m a voter, I think, if we vote yes on this, then childcare will be available in the city at no cost to low-income families,” Carter said in October. “This proposal would serve an average of only 404 children per year, at a total cost of $110 million in property tax increases.”

“We can’t ask (St. Paul voters) to pass the largest single property tax increase that I can ever remember on the basis of making a promise that explicitly says all children, and then turn around and say, ‘Oh, of the 20,000 children in our city under age five, we only meant 404 of them,” he continued.

Proponents of the measure have also been steadfast in their stances on this. St. Paul city council member Rebecca Noecker spoke with KARE11 last summer about the issue.

“There’s never been a claim that this would cover every single child on day one,” Noecker told KARE11 back in the summer of 2023. “This is to provide low-income families with free child care, and to make it more affordable for families above that.”

Mayor Carter’s office said Wednesday there would be no comment after the measure failed.

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. — Molson Coors announced they are closing Leinenkugel’s Brewery in Chippewa Falls and centralizing brewing operations of the historic beer in Milwaukee.

Leinenkugel’s, branded as the Pride of Chippewa Falls, joined Miller Brewing in 1988, where today 75% of the brand’s beer is produced, according to a letter sent to distributors. 

The closure is of the brewery, which is located north of Duncan Creek. That closure will not impact the Leinie Lodge or pilot brewery on the south side of the creek, a spokesperson said, adding the lodge will continue to be open year-round. 

Molson Coors Chief Supply Chain Officer Brian Erhardt said in a statement the decision to close the brewery comes as they seek to centralize statewide production.

“While never easy, these choices are made with much thought and consideration to position Molson Coors for continued success in Wisconsin and beyond,” Erhardt said. 

In the letter to distributors, Erhardt said the Chippewa Falls brewery will end operations effective Jan. 17, 2025. 

“The brand and Chippewa Falls have been a cherished part of our company and culture. That’s not changing,” he said. “Leinie’s Summer Shandy and the rest of the portfolio will continue to play a critical role in our premiumization strategy, and the Leinie Lodge and adjacent pilot brewery will remain open year-round for visitors to enjoy and experience the Leinenkugel’s brand. There are no planned changes for the Barrel Yard located at American Family Field.”

Between July and August 2023, unionized brewery workers went on strike asking for a new contract and better wages. The strike ended with a new three-year contract. Erhardt said talks have begun with workers and bargaining representatives. 

Leinenkugel’s Brewing Company opened in 1867, two years before the city of Chippewa Falls was established. The company’s founder, Jacob Leinenkugel, was the city’s mayor in its early years. Leninkugel’s is one of the oldest continually operating breweries in the United States. 

Molson Coors is also closing Tenth Street Milwaukee in light of the sale of the Tenth & Blake breweries, according to Erhardt.