Minnesota is the bluest of the blue states, and Northeastern Minnesota is the bluest area of the state. And at its blue heart is Duluth, where hardy, civic-minded voters lead the nation in turning out at the polls.
Such statements have been so frequent that many people accept them as truth. But the truth actually is different.
Overall, Minnesota's 8th Congressional District reflects the state's political preferences better than any other district, said Craig Grau, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Grau made his comments at a lunch presentation titled "Myths about Elections in Minnesota and Its 8th Congressional District" at the Depot.
"Myths are not lies," Grau said. "It's just that we make them into better stories," in part to transfer or promote our values.
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The myth that Minnesota is a blue (Democratic-voting) state -- true if you look at presidential elections over the past 30 years, where Minnesota has supported the Democratic candidate every time.
But the myth of Minnesota's blueness begins to unravel if you look at the races for U.S. Senate and governor over the same period, where state voters went Democratic only 33 percent and 27 percent of the time, Grau said.
And the myth comes apart if you look at Minnesota's entire history as a state, voting Republican in 54 percent of the presidential races, in 65 percent of the U.S. Senate races and in 68 percent of the governor races.
Even as recently as the 1960s, the Duluth area was solidly represented in the state Legislature by people with Republican leanings, said Rep. Mike Jaros, DFL-Duluth, who attended the lunch with about a dozen others.
And the myth of the great turnouts by Duluth voters? Looking at the turnout of people old enough to vote challenges that myth. In the 2004 presidential election 81 percent of Duluth's voting age population voted, according to Grau, a lower percent than Lake County (85 percent) and Cook County (86 percent).
Turnout in the 2006, non-presidential election, dropped to 56 percent in Duluth, lower than the statewide average of 60 percent, Grau said.
"Duluth does vote, in presidential elections," Grau said. "And Minnesota is the bluest of the blue states, in presidential elections."
Grau's presentation was one in the St. Louis County Historical Society's "Lunch With the History People" series. The monthly series tries to present a range of topics, from politics to ghosts.
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"Ghosts was probably our most popular," said Julie Bolos, who coordinates the series.
"We want to educate people about St. Louis County history in a fun way," she said. "It was designed for people to come on their lunch hour. We provide the coffee."
