In his younger days, Jimmy Kouba saw himself as aligned with Republican positions and cast ballots for some of that party’s candidates, including the first President George Bush.

These days, he’s firmly behind Democrats and the incumbent President Joe Biden. That’s driven partly by the Biden administration’s efforts to bolster the nation’s infrastructure and clean energy production, but also out of fear of what another four years under Republican Donald Trump could look like.

“Among many Democrats, he’s evil. I mean, you don’t go on national television and say, ‘Yeah, I’m going to be a dictator for one day.’ No, you’re not going to be a dictator for one day; you’re going to be a dictator from that day forward,” Kouba said. “He’s going to be twice as ruthless this time around.”

For Democrats, the nervousness about the coming election is palpable. Biden is wobbly in polling, particularly in the swing states he relied on to push him past then-President Trump four years ago.

There is unease among Democrats that some key voting blocs won’t show up. Some are upset over Biden’s posture toward the Israel-Hamas war, but pivoting too hard could cause a backlash among other Democratic voters. Polls show voters of color and younger voters aren’t as energized, either.

As Minnesota Democrats gather for their state convention beginning Friday in Duluth, they know they have their work cut out for them. Minnesota could be contested more strongly than it was four years ago when Biden won here by more than seven percentage points. 

It’s a must-win state for Biden on his path to the minimum 270 Electoral College votes. No Republican has won Minnesota’s 10 electoral votes since 1972. That it’s even in the picture is a sign of how intense this campaign will be.

AK Kamara, who will soon represent Minnesota’s GOP on the Republican National Committee, said Trump’s chances in the state hinge a lot on voter falloff on the Democratic side.

“They’re not gonna vote for Trump, but they’re gonna stay home,” Kamara said, pointing specifically to voters upset over the plight of people living in Gaza. “And if they stay home and Republicans turn out as they did in basically the same numbers as 2016 or at a higher level, then it’s gonna go to Trump.”

‘What we’ve accomplished’

During the state convention and beyond, DFL Party Chair Ken Martin said it’s critical that his party amplifies what it sees as accomplishments of the Biden term: a hefty infrastructure package, a focus on climate mitigation and an economy that still shows low unemployment and strong consumer spending. That’s despite stubborn inflation.

“While the Republicans spent most of their time tearing down Democrats and our candidates, we’re going to spend our time talking about what we’ve accomplished both here in Minnesota and across the nation for the American people,” Martin said. “We’ve got a great record of accomplishment to talk about.”

Kouba is one of the voters MPR News spoke to at length for an occasional series about how voters of all philosophies perceive today’s political environment, the candidates and the election they’ll help decide. The series will delve into how their political opinions are formed and have evolved, as well as what, if anything, could influence their decision on who to vote for or whether they’ll vote at all in a contest between two generally unpopular party nominees.

Kouba, a 58-year old with long graying hair, a beard and a frequent smile, shared his views in a courtyard of an apartment complex where he lives in downtown St. Paul, up river from where he was raised in Winona.

It’s a public housing building for people with scarce incomes. Kouba’s chronic health struggles make it difficult to hold down jobs. He’s had numerous low-wage, service industry gigs, such as Taco Bell and Jimmy John’s. 

He’s also worked as a caregiver. He earned a two-year medical assistant degree and last worked full-time drawing blood as a plasma center. He’s currently trying to unlock Social Security disability benefits because of health problems.

In addition to the public housing subsidy, he says he gets a little more than $200 a month from the government. He has nothing extra. Were it not help from the government, he worries he might not be alive.

“If it wasn’t for Medical Assistance, I wouldn’t be getting the care. I’m unemployed, and I have breathing issues like COPD, asthma. You could end up in hospital three, four or five times in a year,” he said. 

“Today is a great day. But if it had been a couple of days prior I’d be going like that,” Kouba added, imitating the gasping for air that he deals with a lot.

He is also gay and is concerned about a retreat in LGBTQ rights if Trump gets back in the White House. He sees Democrats as generally more compassionate than Republicans, recoiling at the way the party vilifies immigrants in campaign rhetoric.

“The Republicans, all they care about is gas, oil and taking human rights away,” he said. “I’ve seen this happening over the years that they’re just not for the people.”

Crediting Biden

Kouba used to consider himself in the GOP fold.

As a young man, Kouba says his political ideology aligned with Republicans, especially in their opposition to abortion. He said that changed when his sister had the procedure.

“Because of the abortion, that allowed me to be more open, have my eyes open around see what’s going on? So yeah I’m pro-choice all the way. It’s a woman’s body,” he said. “No one has the right to tell a woman what she can and can’t do with her own body.”

Kouba credits the Biden administration for pushing through new investments in the nation, from the Infrastructure bill to the Inflation Reduction Act. Kouba thinks it will help position the U.S. for the long term.

He also reminds that Biden inherited the COVID-19 pandemic and its societal fallout from Trump’s administration.

“Biden had to turn around and clean up,” he said. “Then he has to deal with a bunch of Republicans in Congress, who for the past four four years, have been not helping.” 

He’s extremely concerned about climate change and finds it dumbfounding that so many Republicans mock warnings about global warming.

“This is where government can come in and help. Is global warming going on? Yeah. Global warming is real,” Kouba said. “For our politicians it’s like, do they need to have the back of their head swatted? If we don’t take care of our planet, we’re not going to have much of a world.”

Editor’s note: This story is part of an occasional series by MPR News correspondent Mark Zdechlik on what influences the political opinions of Minnesota voters. In later installments, we’ll meet voters who are conflicted in their choices and people who are so fed up they might sit it out. He also spoke with a Republican voter earlier who misses the days of Trump in the White House.