GOP Scores Big Win in ‘Deep Blue’ Minnesota

A Minnesota state representative special election has been called. The state that is home to the remarkably fresh-faced and unapologetic anti-Semite Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), has elected a Republican to retain the Minnesota House District 11B seat:

Congrats to Nathan Nelson on his special election victory for Minnesota House District 11B! @mnhousegop Leader @kdaudt and the @MNHRCC are back to full strength with Nelson’s victory this evening. #mnleg #mngop pic.twitter.com/zkJGA6D4Ei

— Republican Legislative Campaign Committee (@GOPLegislators) March 20, 2019

Governor Tim Walz appointed Tony Lourey to serve as human services commissioner.

This created a vacancy in the state senate.

Jason Rarick defeated Tony's son, Stu, to win the vacant seat.

This created a vacancy in the state house.

Nathan Nelson won that race today.#HD11B

— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) March 20, 2019

Anytime the GOP gets a win in blue states like Minnesota there is certainly cause to rejoice. The upper-mid western state has voted for the Democrat in 19 of the last 22 presidential elections, with the most recent deviation coming when Minnesotans voted for Republican presidential incumbent Richard Nixon in 1972.

So, when the incumbent Rep. Jason Rarick (R-MN) vacated the seat, the Republican Party of Minnesota had to step up and retain control of the district. NBC-KARE11 had local coverage on the story:

“Republican Nathan Nelson has won the special election to fill a vacant state House seat in east-central Minnesota.

Unofficial returns show Nelson beating Democrat Tim Burkhardt in Tuesday’s election for the House District 11B seat. Nelson will fill the seat previously held by Jason Rarick, who was elected to the state Senate last month.

Rarick, a Republican from Pine City, replaced Democrat Tony Lourey, who left the Senate to become Gov. Tim Walz’s human services commissioner.”

Although the seat represents a fairly red district, a victory is a victory, especially when a seat is vacated by a sitting Republican. Also, there is something to be said about not allowing the Democratic machine in Minnesota to flip another district in its favor.

If the GOP aims to have any chance to move Minnesota back toward a purple or in-play state for Republican presidential candidates, the battle begins at the local level.

Grassroots efforts to spread the conservative message throughout the historically farm-heavy communities of Minnesota need to be generated in order to break the stranglehold that the “twin cities” of Minneapolis and St. Paul have on national elections.

There’s an interesting scenario laid out in an opinion piece for the Washington Post, which shows a potential path to a GOP resurgence in the Gopher State, as well as in closely-contested areas of the U.S. Specifically, a certain type of voter has emerged and needs to be courted, which they call TIGRs:

“These voters, whom I label TIGRs (Trump Is Great Republicans), like the president’s focus on jobs first and foremost. They don’t want entitlements to be cut; they depend on Social Security and Medicare much more in retirement than high-income suburbanites whose home equity and 401(k)s can cushion their golden years. They need protection against unfair Chinese trade practices and competition from undocumented immigrants. They are also suspicious of overseas military adventures, which should not surprise anyone given that their sons and daughters are more likely than others to fight in them.

The TIGRs need to know they are welcome in the GOP. They already know President Trump welcomes them, and it was surely his unwavering energy and focus on their concerns in the final month of the campaign that brought them out. But the party needs to ensure their loyalty beyond the man in the Oval Office.”

What this piece is pointing out, overall, is the opportunity the GOP has to bring moderates over from the left, who will undoubtedly be turned off by the Democratic Party’s new unhinged, far-left mainstream.

Let’s not forget who runs the Democratic Party in 2019…