Minnesota

Do Minnesota Democrats do better in years when Amy Klobuchar is on the ballot?

Published

2 years ago

May 30, 2024

Do Minnesota Democrats do better in years when Amy Klobuchar is on the ballot?

Democratic lore has been building in Minnesota around Amy Klobuchar for the nearly two decades she’s been in statewide politics.

Since she was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, Klobuchar has achieved unquestionable popularity in Minnesota, easily defeating Republican challengers in her two re-election campaigns with more than 60% of the vote.

That popularity is something some Democrats have come to count on — they argue it translates into a down-ballot boost for DFL candidates running for Congress and the state Legislature. Klobuchar, who is expected to get her party’s endorsement at the DFL’s state convention this weekend, is back on the ballot this fall seeking a fourth term in the U.S. Senate.

“She not only wins significantly in parts of the state that other Democrats running statewide underperform in, she has coattails that lift up other candidates running,” said DFL Party Chair Ken Martin, who calls Klobuchar the “speaker-maker” for helping to flip the state House. “She’s not only one of the most popular politicians, she has amazing staying power.”

Using voter data going back more than three decades, an analysis found a correlation between election years when Klobuchar is on the ballot and better results for Democrats in many other races. She’s consistently won her elections with a larger percentage of the vote than other statewide candidates, and every year she’s run, the DFL Party has won whichever chambers of the Legislature were on the ballot.

The DFL flipped the state House and held the state Senate in 2006, the year the then-Hennepin County attorney first ran for U.S. Senate. The state House and Senate both flipped to DFL control in 2012, Klobuchar’s first run for re-election. The Senate was not on the ballot during her third race in 2018, but the House flipped to DFL control after being held by Republicans for four years.

Years when Klobuchar runs statewide typically see a higher overall performance for DFL candidates in the U.S. House, state House and state Senate compared to other years. Democrats are trying to hold control of the Minnesota House and the flip the U.S. House this fall.

Jeff Blodgett, a DFL operative who has worked on statewide U.S. Senate and presidential campaigns in Minnesota, said Klobuchar’s own personal brand of politics enhances the party’s broader brand, especially with independent voters. Her focus on middle-class economic issues such as price gouging, junk fees and monopolies has helped endear her to a broad set of voters, he said.

“Independent voters in Minnesota find her familiar, comfortable, likable,” he said. “Increasingly, it’s a nice contrast to the harsh, extreme candidates the other side puts forward.”

But longtime Republican consultant and campaign operative Gregg Peppin said Democrats’ overall success in years Klobuchar has been on the ballot is “largely coincidental.”

The 2006 election was good for Democrats across the board amid backlash to the George W. Bush administration and the war in Iraq, he noted. In 2012, Barack Obama sought a second term and Minnesota Democrats turned out to oppose constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage and require an ID to vote. Democrats across the country did well in 2018, the midterm election during Donald Trump’s presidency.

“Elections are much more determined by external events and the external environment than they are by one person on the ballot,” Peppin said.

The 2024 election year will be different, with a race largely driven by how people feel about the rematch between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, he said. Klobuchar’s fourth run for the Senate will also be her first since her 2020 presidential campaign.

“Biden isn’t that popular, and she hasn’t been in that situation where there has been an unpopular Democrat at the top of the ticket,” Peppin said. “She also ran for president herself and some Minnesotans might have questions.”

Republicans have endorsed former NBA player and Steven Bannon acolyte Royce White to run against Klobuchar this fall, but he could face a GOP primary challenge from former naval officer and businessman Joe Fraser.

The bigger battle for the DFL may be internal, said Annette Meeks, a longtime Republican operative. Democrats in the Twin Cities have moved further to the left and pushed issues that Klobuchar has not, she added.

“The DFL has to decide who they are: Are they the moderates, like Amy Klobuchar and her ilk, versus the more radical wing?” Meeks said. “She might have to answer some tough questions about that in certain parts of the state.”

Klobuchar was last on the ballot during a presidential year in 2012. She outperformed Obama by more than 300,000 votes, in part because she travels to every corner of Minnesota, said Mike Erlandson, a former DFL Party chair.

“Some people say it’s silly that she visits all 87 counties every year, but it’s things like that that keeps her connected to Minnesota voters in a way other [candidates] have not attained,” he said.

She also runs like she’s 20 points behind, despite not drawing a top-tier candidate in her last two re-election battles, Erlandson said. “That will help Democrats up and down the ballot, from Biden to the U.S. House to the Legislature.”

Martin said Klobuchar works with other candidates, and other candidates “want to hitch their wagon to her because she’s so popular.”

“There are lots of question marks for Democrats right now, but the one constant is Amy Klobuchar.”

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Minnesota

Minnesota weather: How cold it got on Saturday

Published

4 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Minnesota weather: How cold it got on Saturday

article

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Temperatures dropped into the negative Saturday, with the coldest temperatures in the morning.

How cold it got in Minnesota Saturday

By the numbers:

Here is how cold the temperatures got in Minnesota:

Hinckley: -20 degrees
Bemidji: -20 degrees
Ely: -18 degrees
Brainerd: -18 degrees
Detroit Lakes: -18 degrees
Hibbing: -17 degrees
International Falls: -17 degrees
Duluth: -16 degrees
Alexandria: -12 degrees
St. Cloud: -12 degrees
Cambridge: -11 degrees
Grand Marais: -10 degrees
Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport: -6 degrees
Red Wing: -6 degrees
Morris: -6 degrees
Hutchinson: -5 degrees
Rochester: -5 degrees
Mankato: -3 degrees
Windom: 0 degrees
Marshall: 0 degrees

Here are the lowest wind chills across Minnesota from Saturday:

Bemidji: -37 degrees
Ely: -35 degrees
Duluth: -34 degrees
Brainerd: -32 degrees
Detroit Lakes: -32 degrees
Hibbing: -31 degrees
Alexandria: -29 degrees
Hinckley: -27 degrees
Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport: -24 degrees
St. Cloud: -24 degrees
Willmar: -22 degrees
Cambridge-21 degrees
Grand Marais: -21 degrees
Hutchinson: -21 deegres
Morris: -20 degrees
Faribault: -18 degrees
Mankato: -18 degrees
Marshall: -17 degrees
Red Wing: -16 degrees
Owatonna: -16 degrees
Windom-12 degrees

Cold continues Sunday

What’s next:

The Twin Cities are under a cold weather advisory that is expected to last through Sunday morning, so residents should prepare for frigid conditions if they have plans to be outdoors.

Sunday will be slightly less frigid with temperatures climbing above zero. However, it will still feel like 10 below zero in the afternoon.

Milder and warmer temperatures are expected to return for the work week.

Winter WeatherMinnesota

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Minnesota

Minnesota Wild acquires NHL star Quinn Hughes from Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster trade

Published

16 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Minnesota Wild acquires NHL star Quinn Hughes from Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster trade

The Minnesota Wild made an all-in move for one of the NHL’s best players in his prime, acquiring defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster trade — their boldest action yet toward ending a decade-long skid of playoff series defeats.

The teams announced the seismic move on Friday night, after the 2024 Norris Trophy winner as the league’s top defenseman had been the most talked-about trade candidate over the past couple of weeks. Minnesota sent center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 draft to suddenly rebuilding Vancouver to complete the deal.

The trade was the second major swap of the day, after two-time Stanley Cup Final runner-up Edmonton finally made a move for a goaltender, acquiring Tristan Jarry from Pittsburgh.

Rossi (24), Ohgren (21) and Buium (20) fit the mold of the young talent the Canucks were speculated to be targeting if they were going to trade Hughes. Rossi (2020), Ohgren (2022) and Buium (2024) were all recent first-round draft picks by the Wild.

“Quinn played hard, led by example and did a lot of very good things for the Canucks,” Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin said. “Trading away a player of this caliber is never an easy decision to make, but it was one we had to do to make our team better. We are so excited to add a solid centre in Marco, a good young blueliner in Zeev and a versatile forward in Liam. This year’s draft is a strong one, so acquiring a first-round pick was also a big part of this deal.”

Hughes had no trade-blocking protection in his current deal that pays him an average of $7.85 million annually. Hughes, who is 26 and widely considered the best at player on the blue line behind only Colorado’s Cale Makar, is signed through the 2026-27 season before he can become an unrestricted free agent.

The Wild will not be allowed to extend Hughes until July 1, and it’s unclear if he would consider signing a new contract with them. There has been plenty of buzz around the league that Quinn wants to play with his brothers, Jack and Luke, with the New Jersey Devils.

They could potentially be teammates on the U.S. Olympic team, either in February in Milan or in 2030. Wild general manager Bill Guerin runs USA Hockey’s management team.

The long-term outlook for Hughes can wait until next summer, though. The Wild are focused on challenging the two top teams ahead of them in the loaded Central Division, rivals that happen to also have the top two records in the NHL: Colorado and Dallas.

The season-long celebration of the franchise’s 25th anniversary would be a lot more meaningful if the Wild can finally advance in the playoffs, having lost nine straight series after a first-round victory over St. Louis in 2015. The Wild have passed the second round just once in their entire existence, when they were swept in the Western Conference finals by Anaheim in 2003.

Hughes is a significant upgrade to Minnesota’s blue line, anchored by captain and 16-year veteran Jared Spurgeon, smooth-skating 14-year veteran Jonas Brodin and young stalwart Brock Faber. The emergence of rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt this season has given the Wild a reliable tandem with Filip Gustavsson in the net, with star winger Kirill Kaprizov leading the attack after recently signing the richest contract in hockey history to stay in the “State of Hockey” through 2034.

After a rough start, the Wild are 14-3-2 since Nov. 1. They host Ottawa on Saturday and Boston on Sunday night, with the latter game likely the more realistic one for Hughes to debut.

Hughes had two goals, 21 assists and 32 blocked shots in 23 games this season with the last-in-the-NHL Canucks. When he won the Norris Trophy two seasons ago, Hughes had 17 goals and 75 assists, both single-season franchise records for defensemen and the most among all blue liners in the league. Drafted seventh overall in 2018 out of Michigan, the native of Orlando, Florida, spent time growing up in the Boston and Toronto areas while his father, a hockey coach, moved around.

This was Hughes’ third season as Vancouver’s captain, and his abrupt exit paves the way for more change 11 months since the trade of J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers and in the aftermath of coach Rick Tocchet’s departure.

“With the circumstances surrounding J.T. and now Quinn, we are fortunate to acquire these very good young players from Minnesota,” Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said. “They will be a key part of the rebuild that we are currently in, giving us a bright future moving forward. The hockey club will continue to build with talented young players using that as a blueprint to become a contender sooner rather than later.”

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