St. James township is a small town located in the southeastern region of Minnesota, with a population estimated to be around 2,500 people. The politics of St. James are steeped in the traditional values of rural America, with most residents taking a conservative stance on political matters. The local government is made up of elected officials from various backgrounds and ideologies who strive to keep the town running smoothly. Every two years, residents are invited to cast their ballots for mayor and council members who will represent them in town affairs. These candidates come from all walks of life with different points of view that allow citizens to make informed decisions when voting. Issues such as education, public safety, economic growth and environmental protection are some of the key areas that local voters take into account when choosing which candidate they want to have representing them at the local level. In addition to these municipal elections, locals regularly participate in state-wide and national elections where their voices can make an impact on larger issues facing society today.
The political climate in St. James township, MN is moderately conservative.
Watonwan County, MN is moderately conservative. In Watonwan County, MN 38.2% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 59.7% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 2.1% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Watonwan county remained overwhelmingly Republican, 59.7% to 38.2%.
Watonwan county voted Republican in five of the last six Presidential elections (2008 went Democratic).
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
St. James township, MN is moderately conservative.
Watonwan County, Minnesota is moderately 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.
St. James township, Minnesota: r r d r R R
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 if the Democratic Party candidate won and I if the Independent Party candidate won. 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 three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in St. James township, MN
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 71 contributions totaling $3,933 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $55 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 67 contributions totaling $8,437 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $126 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)