Donald Trump wins Minnesota county where Tim Walz launched political career
BLUE EARTH COUNTY, Minn. — While Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz won the statewide presidential vote in Minnesota, President-elect Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance outgained them in the county where Walz first entered politics.
Walz represented Minnesota's 1st Congressional District, which includes Blue Earth County, from 2006 to 2019. He and his family lived in Mankato, the county's seat.
According to unofficial results from the Minnesota secretary of state, Trump carried 49.9% of the vote in Blue Earth — 18,002 voters — while the Democratic ticket earned 48.18%, or 17,558 voters.
Statewide, Harris beat Trump 50.88% to 46.66%. A Republican hasn't won Minnesota since Richard Nixon in 1972.
In 2020, Joe Biden beat Trump in Blue Earth by about 1,600 votes, but Trump won the county by about 1,200 votes in 2016.
Before Walz's election, the 1st District had been represented by Republicans for most of its history. Since he left the office, it has returned to Republican control.
Walz taught at Mankato West High School for 12 years, served as an assistant football coach and helped form the school's first gay-straight alliance group in the 90s. He is originally from Nebraska.
Walz and his family moved to St. Paul in Ramsey County after his gubernatorial win in 2020. Harris and Walz overwhelmingly won that metropolitan county.
The Minnesota governor returned to the state on Wednesday to serve the rest of his second term. In a statement, he said he is "grateful to the millions of Americans who joined our campaign and stood up for our greatest ideals: decency, compassion, and love of our neighbor." He has not yet said whether he will seek a third term as governor.
