Rochester, Minnesota is located in the southeastern part of the state and is part of the Rochester Metropolitan Area. The area has a mayor-council form of government, with the current mayor being Kim Norton. In addition, the city council consists of seven members who are elected on a non-partisan basis for four year terms. The city has numerous committees and commissions that deal with a range of issues related to government, infrastructure, public health and economic development. These committees work closely with local businesses and organizations to ensure that all citizens have access to essential services while protecting their rights. The local political landscape has become increasingly competitive in recent years as candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties strive to represent the people of Rochester. The area also has several initiatives such as \"Rochester Community Empowerment\" which provides resources for those seeking to help improve their communities by connecting them with local leaders and engaging citizens in civic involvement.
The political climate in Rochester Metro Area is leaning conservative.
In Rochester Metro Area 48.8% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 48.8% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 2.4% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, the Rochester metro area flipped slightly Democratic, 48.8% to 48.8%.
The Rochester metro area flipped Democratic in the most recent Presidential election (2000, 2004 and 2016 went Republican).
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Rochester Metro Area is leaning conservative.
Minnesota is leaning liberal.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index is based on recent voting in national elections, federal campaign contributions by local residents, and consumer personality profiles.
VoteWord™
Displaying 20 years of Presidential voting, visualized in one word.
Rochester, Minnesota: r r d d r d
How It Works:
Here at BestPlaces, we were looking at the voting patterns since the 2000 election and realized that we could express the results of each election as one letter. R if the Republican Party candidate won, D for the Democrat and I for the Independent. The six elections (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) would be expressed as six-letter word (R R D R R).
Then we went a little further and added the dimension of magnitude. If the difference of victory was greater than 10 percent, the letter is upper case, and lower case if the difference was less than 10 percent. This allows us to see interesting voting patterns at just a glance.
Here's the VoteWord for Iowa d r d d r. In the last six elections the state has been closely contested, voting narrowly for the Republican Party candidate in 2016 and 2020 after voting for the Democratic Party in 2008 and 2012. Virginia (r r d d d D) has voted for the Democratic Party in the last four elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in Rochester Metro Area
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 10,750 contributions totaling $799,852 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $74 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 2,622 contributions totaling $664,970 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $254 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)