Joe Biden wins Minnesota and its 10 electoral votes, holding on to a state narrowly won by Democrat Hillary Clinton four years ago. #APracecall #Election2020
https://t.co/4QOjLWzOVT— The Associated Press (@AP) November 4, 2020
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Joe Biden has carried Minnesota, turning back President Donald Trump’s push to win the state after coming close four years ago.
Biden won despite getting a late start compared with Trump, who had hoped to become the first Republican to capture Minnesota since Richard Nixon in 1972. Democratic U.S. Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota won reelection, defeating Republican Jason Lewis, a former talk radio host and former congressman.
Smith was Gov. Mark Dayton’s lieutenant governor when he appointed her senator in 2017. Also winning were incumbent U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar, Dean Phillips, Betty McCollum, Tom Emmer and Pete Stauber.
Trump came within 1.5 percentage points of carrying Minnesota in 2016 and made winning the state this time a personal priority. Republicans invested time and money in building a field organization to boost GOP turnout, focusing on conservative rural Minnesota and suburban areas that were once mostly Republican but have become swing territory.
