Why is Minnesota so liberal?

[Spark]

Not to mention it hasn't gone Republican since 1972 and won't be anytime soon.

[LLR]

Minneapolis is a huge part of the states population, and it has traditions from the liberal farmers McGovern/Humphrey/McCarthy movement. It's also not super, super white.

[Green Line]

They must be angry.

[Nyvin]

Very large Nordic population (I think around a third of the total state population), which leads to support for left wing policy like bigger social safety nets, progressive taxes, and workers rights and so on.  

Minnesota is also highly educated compared to a lot of other states, which leads it to being pro-science on things like evolution and climate change.     Also this helps (I think at least) with it's very high voter turnout rates.

In the past the farmer's unions used to lead to a strong showing for the Democratic Party, but that's kinda fading, I think Collin Peterson is a remnant of that age.

Finally,  The Twin Cities area makes up about 60% of the state's population, and that leads to support for big government things like infrastructure projects, public transit, public education, and so on.

[Bismarck]

The well educated wealthy suburbanites and farmers can't outvote the inner city folks and the blue collar whites up in The iron range.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Why are people who are (largely though certainly not exclusively) of colonial New England and/or 19th century German Lutheran and/or 19th century Scandinavian Lutheran descent so liberal?

Why is a state that was initially settled by a particular mix of particular Protestant groups  - people who were disproportionately abolitionist, socially tolerant (well, at least in regard to other Protestants - though I suspect many of this state's residents were also ahead of the Northern Protestant curve re: tolerance and acceptance of Catholics and Jews), strongly liberal (or even radical, as in radical Left, with most of these people being closer to social liberalism and Progressivism in the late 19th and early 20th century if they were middle class, or agrarian + industrial left-wing populism if they were working class), and also highly ecumenical (which in practical terms, meant that this state's residents - particularly its Protestant residents - were ahead of the curve in regard to marrying across ethnic and religious lines, or just not being super hung up on ethnic and denominational differences that really weren't that big of issues to begin with in the state's history? (comparatively speaking.))

Finally, why is a state that has never had a significant history of racial conflict - but has certainly had a significant history of class conflict - and where the majority of the state's Catholic population assimilated rapidly about 100 years ago because of who they were (read: German), where Protestant fundamentalism/evangelicalism of the white Southern (or at least, white Southern-influenced) variety isn't much of a thing (and to the extent that it is, it's a pretty recent import), where working-class political tradition still matters, where the state's culture continues to be dominated by people with strongly left-liberal values rooted in a mix of Yankee/New England cultural tradition, 19th century German liberalism, 19th century Scandinavian radicalism, as well as the Social Gospel, and where all of this history continues to be politically relevant today....why is this state so liberal?

[King of Kensington]

Which group is larger German Lutherans or German Catholics?  And isn't German ancestry pretty closely linked to political conservatism in MN?*

* Though obviously they're still impacted by the more liberal political culture in the state, and they're not that conservative.

[TJ in Oregon]

Which group is larger German Lutherans or German Catholics?  And isn't German ancestry pretty closely linked to political conservatism in MN?

I'm not sure about MN, but in Wisconsin at least Germans in general are closely linked to political conservatism with little difference between German Catholics and German Lutherans. But WI's history is different than MN's so it could be different there.

[ElectionsGuy]

Its not so liberal, its democratic party is just a lot more successful than Wisconsin, Michigan, etc

[Young Conservative]

Its not so liberal, its democratic party is just a lot more successful than Wisconsin, Michigan, etc

I wouldn't call most Minnesotan democrats liberal. More like general moderate democrats that get used to put liberal senators in power.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Minnesota actually has a very close PVI, and, given its whiteness, it could become much more Republican soon.

[jamestroll]

Minnesota actually has a very close PVI, and, given its whiteness, it could become much more Republican soon.

Whiteness plays a role in Republicanism. However, with some exceptions, the more minorities a state has; the more Republican the white electorate is.

There is some bell curve. Whites who live in nearly unanimous black or hispanic areas tend to vote Democratic.

[Nyvin]

Minnesota actually has a very close PVI, and, given its whiteness, it could become much more Republican soon.

Minnesota has trended leftward in the last decade if anything.

[Nhoj]

Minneapolis is a huge part of the states population, and it has traditions from the liberal farmers McGovern/Humphrey/McCarthy movement. It's also not super, super white.

Uh not sure what data you have been looking at but MN has been until recently one of the whitest states.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Minneapolis is a huge part of the states population, and it has traditions from the liberal farmers McGovern/Humphrey/McCarthy movement. It's also not super, super white.

Uh not sure what data you have been looking at but MN has been until recently one of the whitest states.

That is changing because MN attracts quite a few immigrants.  Currently there are 404,000 immigrants in MN compared to 268,000 in WI, 236,000 in Missouri, 305,000 in Tennessee, 226,000 in South Carolina, or even 469,000 in much bigger Ohio.  These states are all more populous than MN or are in more immigrant heavy regions (SC) but have significantly lower immigration rates.

So immigrants would be just over 7% of the population.  But the nh white pop of MN is in the low 80s now.

By contrast, Minneapolis was still 90% nh white in 1970 and the state like 97% nh white.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

The socialist tendencies of Scandinavian immigrants and the strength of the progressive movement there in the early 20th century, neither of which ever abated.

[Buffalo Bill]

It's only light blue or moderately blue though.  Along with WA, OR, ME, MI, NV, WI, IL, NJ, and CT, it's likely to be Democrat but not as blue as DC or even MA.  Based on it's region though you'd think it would be Republican if the GOP wins by more than a couple points.  They've had some very unsuccessful candidates too; Humphrey and Mondale. 

[Badger]

The well educated wealthy suburbanites and farmers can't outvote the inner city folks and the blue collar whites up in The iron range.

You clearly know nothing about MN, politically or otherwise.

[Bismarck]

The well educated wealthy suburbanites and farmers can't outvote the inner city folks and the blue collar whites up in The iron range.

You clearly know nothing about MN, politically or otherwise.

Please explain. Do wealthy Minnesotans in the suburbs vote republican? Yes. Do a majority of rural white voters in the farm areas vote republican? Yes. Do the cities of Minneapolis and St Paul vote democrat? Yes. Is the iron range a working class white democrat area? Yes.

[ilikeverin]

The well educated wealthy suburbanites and farmers can't outvote the inner city folks and the blue collar whites up in The iron range.

You clearly know nothing about MN, politically or otherwise.

Please explain. Do wealthy Minnesotans in the suburbs vote republican? Yes. Do a majority of rural white voters in the farm areas vote republican? Yes. Do the cities of Minneapolis and St Paul vote democrat? Yes. Is the iron range a working class white democrat area? Yes.

The answer to your first two questions is actually just "kinda", which is some of why Minnesota is so liberal.  Many of the richer suburbs (MN-03) are also the swingiest.

[Bismarck]

The well educated wealthy suburbanites and farmers can't outvote the inner city folks and the blue collar whites up in The iron range.

You clearly know nothing about MN, politically or otherwise.

Please explain. Do wealthy Minnesotans in the suburbs vote republican? Yes. Do a majority of rural white voters in the farm areas vote republican? Yes. Do the cities of Minneapolis and St Paul vote democrat? Yes. Is the iron range a working class white democrat area? Yes.

The answer to your first two questions is actually just "kinda", which is some of why Minnesota is so liberal.  Many of the richer suburbs (MN-03) are also the swingiest.

Yes. What I mean is they don't vote R at a high enough rate to outvote Minneapolis-St Paul in the way that some other wealthy Midwestern suburbs (Indy, Milwaukee, Cincinatti, etc) do.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

The well educated wealthy suburbanites and farmers can't outvote the inner city folks and the blue collar whites up in The iron range.

You clearly know nothing about MN, politically or otherwise.

Please explain. Do wealthy Minnesotans in the suburbs vote republican? Yes. Do a majority of rural white voters in the farm areas vote republican? Yes. Do the cities of Minneapolis and St Paul vote democrat? Yes. Is the iron range a working class white democrat area? Yes.

The answer to your first two questions is actually just "kinda", which is some of why Minnesota is so liberal.  Many of the richer suburbs (MN-03) are also the swingiest.

Yes. What I mean is they don't vote R at a high enough rate to outvote Minneapolis-St Paul in the way that some other wealthy Midwestern suburbs (Indy, Milwaukee, Cincinatti, etc) do.

The same is true of Illinois at the presidential level, and in both cases the reason is the same: Bill Clinton and social issues.

[Ban my account ffs!]

It really grinds my gears when people "reasonably" "assume" that Minnesota Democrats "aren't that liberal.. they're just a bunch of moderates"...what utter BS!

-Voted down a gay marriage ban and voter ID requirements by referendum (both victories for the DFL)

-4th highest income tax in the nation

-Some of the most generous welfare benefits of any state

-The 2nd lowest incarceration rate behind Maine.  That's right... per capita... MN has fewer prisoners than Vermont.  And not because Minnesotans are particularly well behaved.

-Some of the most strict water quality rules

-A sales tax specifically for arts and outdoors funding... supported by the DFL and approved by the electorate (so the art culture has been revolutionized in the state in a way that is unique in this country)

-Some of the most lax marijuana possession laws in the nation for a state without legal cannabis (up to 42 grams is a petty misdemeanor.  No jail time.  42 grams is quite a bit of weed)

-Schools are largely funded at the state level with equalization payments to property poor school districts in inner cities and rural areas so the quality of education is high and doesn't vary as much as other places

-Some of the highest taxes in the nation, and yet one of the most efficient state governments with one of the lowest rates of government employees per capita (because that money is being spent on taxpayers)

Underlying all of it is a deeply ingrained attitude of progressive moralism... that machine politics are a non-starter.  Even the faintest whiff of corruption prompts the question "should you resign now or wait to find a replacement", that government and business should operate honestly and transparently, and most importantly... that government, when run this way, is mostly a force for good providing material and administrative cohesion that reflects the cultural cohesion of state residents.

It probably sounds pie in the sky to you... or quaint... or ridiculous... or perhaps it sounds rather nice..... it is what it is.

But I'd argue MN is definitely the most liberal state outside of the two coasts.. and certainly cares more about the income inequality/poverty aspect of liberalism a lot more than even those coastal social liberalism bastions.

[checkers]

socially tolerant (well, at least in regard to other Protestants - though I suspect many of this state's residents were also ahead of the Northern Protestant curve re: tolerance and acceptance of Catholics and Jews)

This is generally a great post, but Minneapolis was actually regarded as the "capital of anti-semitism" in the US in the early 20th century.

[King of Kensington]

And today Minnesota continues to retain a "Jewish" Senate seat (Boschwitz, Wellstone, Coleman, Franken) - even though the state is only 1% Jewish.