Still, there's reason to celebrate, at least locally

Here in Minnesota, we dispelled the notion that we're a battleground state. We went solid blue; I could have called it weeks ago. The rise of the conservative suburbs has shifted us to the right, but we're not red yet. The good news is that Minnesotans vote with their conscience. The bad news is that in the 2000 presidential election and in the 2002 governor's election the left's votes were split, giving the appearance of a right-leaning electorate. The DFLers also managed to reduce Republican control of the house, knocking off 13 Republican seats. They've managed to hold on to a one-seat majority, but that race is currently undergoing an automatic recount. What's intersting is that several of the switches came from the suburban and exurban ring. Perhaps they're not so conservative after all?