Thoughts and opinions on what may have led to the local and state election results have been quite varied.

One reader from Plymouth felt that “local candidates did not have the resources to combat” the false characterizations made by the DFL

He went on to write that the DFL “rounded up a big majority among young voters by hammering on the abortion issue, emphasizing the reduction in marijuana penalties, and championing student loan forgiveness.”

In addition, the claim that the election was all about the ‘safety of democracy’ was really “a euphemism for the defamatory nonsense that Trump was a menace to the Constitution, turned the minds of an adequate number of voters.”

A candidate from Plymouth asserted that the GOP “needs to run our organization like a business. We need to chase ballots and not votes. We need to recruit and support our candidates 12-18 months in advance.” He pointed out that the typical local Republican candidate had four months to raise money, find volunteers, and create awareness. Their opponents had been preparing for 6 to 9 years.

Peter Callaghan of MINNPOST[Why the GOP lost in the suburbs – Minnesota’s largest voting bloc | MinnPost] cited surveys done by students at St. Olaf College at nine different suburban polling locations. The locations included South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville, Burnsville, and Eagan. In exit polls, voters there were asked for the one issue that was the most important. “Of the 400 that gave one answer, inflation and abortion were by far the top choices. Inflation dominated among Kistner voters and abortion among Craig voters.”

Christopher Chapp, associate professor of political science at St. Olaf College, said that among Kistner voters, “crime was cited by just 7.5%.”.

The exit poll also found that while just 21% of Craig voters “strongly approved” of Biden’s performance, 87% “strongly disapproved” of Trump’s performance.