Voter turnout in northeastern Minnesota could determine control of state legislature

The 2022 election season enters the final stretch as late October arrives, with about three weeks to go until Election Day.

Indeed, election ballots arrived in the mail between Oct. 13-15 for many Cook County voters.

In the lead up to the 2022 election, the WTIP News Department spoke with many of the candidates running for local, state and national offices.

Meanwhile, local media are far from the only sources interested in the outcome of the regional election results. According to a recent report from MinnPost reporter Walker Orenstein, northeastern Minnesota could play a pivotal role in whether Democrats or Republicans hold majorities next year in a state where control of the narrowly divided House and Senate is typically decided in the Twin Cities suburbs.

“While the region has been DFL territory, GOP legislative hopefuls need only look to strong showings for Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber to know the region is truly up for grabs. Victories here will help determine who controls the state Legislature in 2023,” the article states.

WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with Orenstein about the MinnPost article and more on the upcoming election. Audio below.

Joe Friedrichs October 17, 2022