Minnesota 65th State Senate District · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
1892–2024 (partial returns from 1876) · 38 presidential cycles · 38 with a vote-share denominator · 34 with a national benchmark
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Samuel J. Tilden1876
85.8%
537 votes · D+71.6 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964 · 82.7%
Republican
Theodore Roosevelt1904
54.0%
1,084 votes · R+16.2 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Warren G. Harding, 1920 · 42.0%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Joe Biden2020
30,629votes
78.2% of the vote · D+58.8 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Barack Obama, 2012 · 27,207 votes
Republican
George W. Bush2004
7,812votes
23.3% of the vote · D+52.0 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · 7,597 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
Walter Mondale1984
+66.6pts D vs U.S.
Place D+48.4 · U.S. R+18.2 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · George McGovern, 1972 · +61.4 pts
Republican
Theodore Roosevelt1904
−3.4pts R vs U.S.
Place R+16.2 · U.S. R+19.7 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Calvin Coolidge, 1924 · −6.2 pts
current representation
Current officeholders
DSandy PappasState Senate · 65
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
Minnesota 65th State Senate District sits in the Upper Midwest. In 2024 it voted Democratic.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 71.6 points in 1876 and a Republican high of 19.0 points in 1924. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 4.4 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 54.4 points.
A population of 84,824, a 42% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $65,132 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 59 and State Senate District 66.
Akashic
Political twins — state-senate districts
The state-senate districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons → · Or open the source-auditable district brief for electoral baseline, electorate, current-cycle coverage, geography, official dates, and methodology. Open campaign intelligence report →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Minnesota 65th State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/27065/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Minnesota 65th State Senate District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Minnesota 65th State Senate District voted Democratic by 54.4 points (D+54.4), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 34,850 votes cast, 26,347 went Democratic and 7,385 went Republican.
When did Minnesota 65th State Senate District last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Minnesota 65th State Senate District voted Republican was 1904.
How many people live in Minnesota 65th State Senate District?
Minnesota 65th State Senate District has a population of 84,824 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Minnesota 65th State Senate District?
Median household income in Minnesota 65th State Senate District is $65,132 — below the national median of $80,734. The Minnesota state median is $89,062.
What is the political history of Minnesota 65th State Senate District?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Minnesota 65th State Senate District from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 35 went Democratic and 1 went Republican.