The difference between Milwaukee and Twin Cities suburbs

[R.P. McM]

There are less people of color in the Twin Cities metro than Milwaukee metro, leading to less racial animus which is the bedrock of the conservatism in the Milwaukee metro area. Rapid suburbanization in the Milwaukee did not really occur until the white flight late 1950's to 1970's which is much later than other major metros.

Is there any particular issue position or demographic in the GOP that the left doesn’t explain with racism?

Post-Trump? Nah, y'all goose-stepped right into that buzzsaw, so for many of us, the question is settled.

[R.P. McM]

I wouldn't say TC suburbs are overwhelmingly D, but they're a lot more D than Milwaukee's suburbs
TC suburbs are more cosmopolitan and "dynamic" than Milwaukee's (younger and higher foreign-born population). They also seem to be slightly more wealthy/educated, not to mention TC is a magnet for young professionals

Could all be true, I am not sure.  Minneapolis is certainly more of a "cosmopolitan" city than Milwaukee.  While education could explain the TC suburbs' tack to the left, let's not forget that Republicans DO still do better with wealthy voters than others.

Not so sure about that. Clinton made huge inroads in every upscale enclave in MN, and outright won many of them. Per CNN's 2016 exits, Clinton's best income demographic was $100k+ (52% - 41%).

https://www.cnn.com/election/2016/results/exit-polls/minnesota/president  

[R.P. McM]

There are less people of color in the Twin Cities metro than Milwaukee metro, leading to less racial animus which is the bedrock of the conservatism in the Milwaukee metro area. Rapid suburbanization in the Milwaukee did not really occur until the white flight late 1950's to 1970's which is much later than other major metros.

Significantly less racial segregation in MSP as well. At the county level, Hennepin and Ramsey are much whiter than Milwaukee, and all of the surrounding counties are much more diverse than WOW.   

[R.P. McM]

Also interesting to note is that MKE burbs become blood red almost immediatly while TW burbs are much more concentric and some of the most visually appealing maps in the country. It seems as if the TC burbs are much more integrated with the core city rather than the Milwaukee burbs.

True. I'm white, I grew up in the 'burbs. When I was a kid, we went on field trips to the Capitol, the Science Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, etc. My family had season tickets to the Children's Theater, and we attended the State Fair every few years. My brother was confirmed at the Cathedral, and both of us (and my sister) graduated from the U of M. None of which is an unusual experience for white suburbanites in MSP. Point being, it's really hard to separate yourself from the city when you're constantly traveling there for events or sending your kids to college there. I get the distinct impression that things are different in Milwaukee, Detroit, etc.