With less than a week to go before Election Day, volunteers and organizers from both political parties have been knocking on doors, writing letters and making phone calls in a final attempt to convince their fellow Minnesotans to vote.
The state DFL Party says volunteers have already knocked on more than 2 million doors, and Democrats and Republicans are both launching get out the vote bus tours this week.
Canvassing efforts are taking many shapes leading up to Election Day. Hundreds of people attended a campaign concert for DFL Attorney General Keith Ellison, who’s running for reelection against Republican Ron Schutz, at First Avenue on Sunday. Rep. Ilhan Omar, Sen. Tina Smith and DFL Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan also urged voters to support Democrats.
“This is the first time since Donald Trump assaulted the state of Minnesota that we will be able to go to the polls and tell him exactly what we think about him,” Ellison told the audience. ”There’s people out there waiting for you to knock on their door, and we need you to absolutely do that.”
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Some get out the vote efforts have been quieter. Earlier this month, a dozen or so volunteers with the progressive organization Swing Left met at Urban Growler Brewing in St. Paul to write letters to voters in competitive congressional districts.
“It’s nicer to come somewhere in person and do something hands-on,” said Laura Pyne of Minneapolis, who was writing letters to voters in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District where Republican incumbent Rep. Brad Finstad faces a challenge from DFLer Jake Johnson. “I feel personally we’ve got to get away from the madness that’s going on right now.”
Tom Finley, another volunteer letter writer, grew up in what is now Finstad’s district. His letter said, “I’m voting this year because I grew up in southeast Minnesota, and I respect and care for the people like you who reside there. Whatever your important issues are, I hope you’ll make your voice heard as you vote to help save democracy.”
Laura Pyne of Minneapolis writes letters to voters in Minnesota’s first congressional district as part of an event organized by the progressive group Swing Left at Urban Growler Brewing Company in St. Paul on Oct. 21.
Ellie Roth | MPR News
It’s common for the sitting president’s party to lose seats in the midterm election, but Republican Party of Minnesota Chair Alex Plechash said his party’s slate of statewide candidates is making him optimistic they can attract voters.
“I think in this case, in the midterm election, it’s going to take a stronger turnout from the people in the middle,” Plechash said. “We’ve got more people running towards the middle than we see from the other side where a lot of people on the Democrat side are running hard to the left.”
Americans for Prosperity Action Minnesota, a conservative super PAC, has focused the majority of its efforts on door knocking in state Senate districts. The group estimates they will spend $1 million by Election Day.
“The connections you can make with individuals is a way that you can have an impact that I think goes far beyond anything you’ll see on a TV commercial or a mailer,” said Jake Coleman, AFP Action Minnesota senior advisor.
Republican U.S. Senate nominee Michele Tafoya speaks with a group of suburban women at a campaign event at a White Bear Lake coffee shop on Tuesday. Tafoya is hoping to flip a seat that has been held by Democrats since 2009.
Peter Cox | MPR News
Both candidates for U.S. Senate have also spent time talking with voters. DFLer Flanagan held a roundtable in St. Louis Park on Operation Metro Surge, and Republican candidate Michele Tafoya held a coffee and conversation event in White Bear Lake with a group of suburban women, a crucial demographic in this year’s Senate race.
“This is a unique opportunity to speak with women, moms, aunts, sisters, wives, daughters — however you identify in that spectrum — to just find out what’s on your mind, and make sure that what’s top of mind for you gets to the top of my list,” Tafoya told the women.
Nationally, polls show it could be a challenging election for Republicans, with President Donald Trump’s approval rating hovering around 32 percent, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll. But Coleman, with AFP Action, said Minnesota’s fraud scandals could turn voters away from Democrats and help Republicans in the state.
“I’ve been using the phrase, ‘These national trends seem to break on the shores of Lake Superior,’” Coleman said.
Dana Ferguson and Peter Cox contributed to this report.
