The politics in Otter Tail, MN are largely centered around protecting the rural heritage of the area. Local politicians work together to ensure that growth and development happen in a way that respects the long-standing commitment to preserving the natural environment, local history and culture. Issues like improving infrastructure, expanding access to healthcare and education, and promoting economic development are all top priorities for local politicians in Otter Tail. Many also seek to improve public safety by advocating for reforms in law enforcement policies. Through collaboration with other elected officials, community members, business owners, and stakeholders across the county, local leaders are working to create positive change while still upholding the unique values that make Otter Tail such a special place.
The political climate in Otter Tail, MN is strongly conservative.
Otter Tail County, MN is very conservative. In Otter Tail County, MN 32.9% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 65.4% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 1.8% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Otter Tail county remained overwhelmingly Republican, 65.4% to 32.9%.
Otter Tail county voted Republican in every Presidential election since 2000.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Otter Tail, MN is strongly conservative.
Otter Tail County, Minnesota is very conservative.
Fergus Falls Metro Area is very 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.
Otter Tail, Minnesota: R R R 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 Otter Tail, MN
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 1,018 contributions totaling $26,900 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $26 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 85 contributions totaling $12,038 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $142 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)