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'Trump Effect' and how it will affect the MN Primary

"The 'Trump Effect' was very present Tuesday night," University of Minnesota political science professor Larry Jacobs says.

ST. PAUL, Minn – Love him or hate him, it’s hard to deny the impact President Donald Trump is having on the election this year.

Political experts are calling it the “Trump Effect.”

“The 'Trump Effect' was very present Tuesday night,” University of Minnesota political science professor Larry Jacobs says.

Four states held primaries Tuesday night, including Michigan, Missouri, Washington and Kansas.

Trump endorsed several candidates in those races, and he appears to be happy with the results.

Wednesday morning Trump tweeted a simple message, “5 for 5!” which appears to reference five candidates he endorsed for political office.

“Donald Trump is having a big impact both on Republican races, in terms of which candidates are moving forward, but he’s also having an impact on the Democratic races,” Jacobs explains.

With the Minnesota primary less than a week away, one has to wonder what impact the “Trump Effect” will have here.

Jacobs says the impact has already happened.

“We’ve seen a remarkable, historic number of women running for office,” Jacobs explains. “Women largely don’t like Donald Trump and that might explain why we’re seeing a record number of women running for office.”

Here in Minnesota there are two women running for governor, two running for U.S. Senator, and over a half dozen running for Congress.

This trend was also on display during the four primaries Tuesday night.

Between primaries held in Michigan, Missouri, Washington and Kansas, female Democrats won both available nominations for governor, all three available nominations for U.S. Senate, and 17 of the 35 available nominations for Congress.

Six Republican women also received nominations Tuesday night.

“We’re seeing women mobilizing like we’ve never seen before,” Jacobs says.

The “Trump Effect” isn’t always a positive thing for the Republican party, Jacobs argues.

It’s true, the president is mostly getting the candidates he wants, but Jacobs says many of those candidates are much more conservative than the other Republicans in the race.

“In several states Trump has gotten behind candidates who are very controversial, who divide Republicans,” Jacobs says. “Democrats on the other hand are putting forward more moderate candidates.”

Jacobs argues Democrats will have an advantage in some key races, because candidates will have an easier time luring in swing voters.

We’ll have to wait until Tuesday night to see if that happens here in Minnesota.

However, Jacobs says, in the meantime, it will be interesting to see if President Trump announces an endorsement in the state’s governor race.

Both Jeff Johnson and Tim Pawlenty are seeking the Republican nomination, and both have stuck close to Trump's policies this election.

However, Jacobs says both candidates have criticized Trump in the past, but Pawlenty has arguably been even more critical than Johnson.

“Johnson knows this, and so does the White House,” Jacobs says.

“Trump could give us one of those famous early morning tweets where he comes out and slams Pawlenty. If he does, it could well shift the race enormously.”

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