“Mayo Clinic wants President Obama to make health care a priority once again during his second term.
“On the day after Obama was re-elected, Mayo CEO Dr. John Noseworthy invited him and members of Congress to work with Mayo on fixing the U.S. health care system, which he called ‘unsustainable’ in its current form.
“‘To preserve and strengthen our nation’s economy, it is imperative that we take action now to create a new health care model for America,’ Noseworthy said,” via Post Bulletin.
Voters wait to cast ballots in 2008, file photo courtesy of Michael Hutto
“Nearly 2.94 million Minnesotans cast ballots in this year’s election, which is up from 2.92 in 2008. That means nearly 76 percent of eligible Minnesota voters cast ballots in this election, which is the highest voter turnout in the country.
via KSTP.
“Voters in heavily agriculture-dependent North Dakota became the first to enshrine the right to farm in their state constitution, a move that some say could have far-reaching effects on genetic modification, land use and the way animals are raised,” via AP.
“Through a throng of jubilant supporters, someone called out what most of the room was thinking: ‘Senator Heitkamp!’
“Heidi Heitkamp, hoarse from the final days of her campaign but jubilant herself, said the credit lay with the people cheering her on.
“‘To the extent people are calling this historic, to the extent people are calling this an upset, pat yourselves on the back,’ she told a packed crowd at Fargo’s Teamsters Hall this morning,” via Forum of Fargo Moorhead.
ORIGINAL: By Upworthy designers Jessica Plautz, Aaron Perry-Zucker, and yours truly. Found on the websites of “PBS NewsHour,” Mother Jones, and Ballotpedia.
Today on the MPR News Update, DFLers elect new leaders of their now-in-the-majority state House and Senate caucuses. The battle over same-sex marriage may just be beginning. Hennepin County talks about what went wrong with some voting machines. And Minnesota job seekers, employers and health reformers talk about the impact of Tuesday's vote.
Image: Wisconsin 2012 Presidential results by county via Huffington Post
Minnesota’s purple neighbor, Wisconsin, hasn’t had a break from campaigning in a mighty long time. A union-led attempted recall of Republican Gov. Scott Walker failed earlier this year, but as Tuesday’s results suggest, it isn’t because the state has become more conservative. More Wisconsin voters, 70%, went to the polls Tuesday than they did in 2008.
President: Obama by six points
U.S. Senate: Tammy Baldwin (D) elected as first openly gay member of the Senate
U.S. House: All seven incumbents, including GOP VP candidate Paul Ryan, safely re-elected. Republicans hold five of the eight House seats, Democrats hold the other three. Mark Pocan (D) easily won the open seat Baldwin vacated in the Madison-area.
State legislature: GOP takes new majority in the Senate, expands margin in the Assembly. Democrats may make up lost ground in recounts.
“President Obama won the state by nearly six percentage points, thanks, at least in part, to support from labor unions and voters who approved of the auto industry bailout. A majority of voters in exit polls also blamed President George W. Bush, not Mr. Obama, for the economy’s problems. (more…)
“The victories for same-sex marriage on Tuesday, the first ones achieved at the ballot box rather than through courts or legislatures, are evidence of a remarkable shift in public opinion.
“They are also exceptionally timely data points for the Supreme Court.At their private conference scheduled for Nov. 20, the justices plan to consider some 10 requests that they address various aspects of what the Constitution has to say about same-sex marriage. It is close to certain that the court will agree to hear at least one case on the subject, with a decision expected by June.
“The justices tend to say they are not influenced by public opinion. But they do sometimes take account of state-by-state trends, and the latest developments will not escape their notice,” via New York Times.
After defeating a constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage in Minnesota as only between one man and one woman, advocates for marriage equality are turning their attention to the state legislature. Same-sex marriage isn’t legal in Minnesota today, but a new DFL majority and supportive governor could change the law in the coming legislative session.
(more…)
“Many strange and unique things can come out of elections, but in the city of Rochester, residents did something very few communities have done. They elected a deceased candidate.
“Voting Dennis Hanson as their City Council President. Every sign, every banner, a memory. Memory of a man who devoted much of his life to the place he called home.
“‘It was very successful in our eyes,’ Linda Hanson says,” via KAAL.
“Incumbent Republican Mary Franson of Alexandria won by the closest margin possible, one vote, over DFLer Bob Cunniff of Alexandria. Cunniff carried Douglas Countys 17 precincts but Franson picked up enough support in the other 37 districts to win re-election, barring any changes that could occur in a recount,” via Alexandria Echo Press.
Sec. of State Mark Ritchie says a recount will take place.
