Beltrami County, Minnesota is a largely rural county located in the northwest part of the state. The county seat is Bemidji and the population as of 2017 was approximately 44,000 people. As a result of its size and population density, Beltrami County has a relatively small political landscape compared to other counties in Minnesota. The number of local political candidates is limited, with only a few running for office each election cycle. The county is split into five districts which elect one representative to the Minnesota House of Representatives every two years. Additionally, Beltrami County voters have the ability to vote in both state and federal elections such as Presidential elections and U.S. Senate races when they occur. Beltrami County has seen increased voter turnout in recent years due to an uptick in interest in local issues such as healthcare, education, and access to clean water. Although it may be considered small on the surface, politics in Beltrami County are still vitally important for shaping future outcomes for all residents throughout the region.
The political climate in Beltrami County, MN is leaning conservative.
In Beltrami County, MN 47.2% of the people voted Democrat in the last presidential election, 50.4% voted for the Republican Party, and the remaining 2.4% voted Independent.
In the last Presidential election, Beltrami county remained Republican, 50.4% to 47.2%.
Beltrami county voted Republican again in 2020, after voting Democratic in 2012, 2008, and 2004.
The BestPlaces liberal/conservative index
Beltrami County, MN is leaning conservative.
Bemidji 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.
Beltrami, Minnesota: r d D d 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 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 three elections.
Individual Campaign Contributions in Beltrami County, MN
In the last 4 years (2018-2021), there were 1,785 contributions totaling $84,726 to the Democratic Party and liberal campaigns, averaging $47 per contribution.
In the last 4 years, there were 333 contributions totaling $37,534 to the Republican Party and conservative campaigns, averaging $113 per contribution.
(source: Federal Election Commission)