Election workers process ballots at the Arapahoe County Elections Facility in Littleton, Colorado. Photo by Carl Payne, for Colorado Newsline.
Welcome to The Topline, a weekly roundup of the big numbers driving the Minnesota news cycle, as well as the smaller ones that you might have missed. This week: Tabke recount nets a one-vote change; Minnesota cities ranked on lgbt equality; new estimates of PFAS in the water; and generational notions about success.
Recount changes final tally by one vote (in winner’s favor)
Remember last week when we discussed how Minnesota legislative recounts rarely change race outcomes?
The Star Tribune reports: “DFL Rep. Brad Tabke widened his lead over Republican Aaron Paul by one vote following a recount of nearly 22,000 ballots in a closely watched Minnesota House race.”
Four ballots have been challenged and may or may not get added to the final tally for the 54A race. There’s also an unusual situation involving around 20 missing mail ballots in one precinct. County officials say they’re still investigating the latter.
Unsuccessful 2022 GOP attorney general nominee Jim Schultz is calling for a redo of the race. “Jim Schultz Demands Transparency and Immediate Action” was the subject line of the email, which is funny because Schultz has zero authority over the situation, and also because county officials say they don’t have the authority to run another race.
One recount remains outstanding: the 14B race, where DFL’s Dan Wolgamott leads by 191 votes over Republican challenger Sue Ek.
A final nugget of data and a reminder of just how much every single vote matters: Reformer contributor Max Hailperin notes that over 1,000 voters in 54A either voted for a third-party or didn’t bother picking anyone in the legislative race. Don’t throw your votes away!
St. Paul is Minnesota’s most LGBT-friendly big city; St. Cloud the least
The Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT advocacy group, released its annual index of LGBT equality in 506 major U.S. cities. The group rated cities on their non-discrimination laws, municipal employment policies, municipal services, treatment of hate crimes, and overall leadership on LGBT equality.
St. Paul scored 100 out of 100 points, one of 130 cities to obtain the highest score. Duluth and Bloomington scored higher than 95, while Minneapolis got a 94.
At the opposite end of the spectrum: St. Cloud scored just 51. The report dinged the city for a lack of leadership on LGBT issues from municipal leaders, little in the way of benefits and protections for LGBT employees, and so-so relations between law enforcement and the LGBT community.
New EPA data shows 143 million Americans exposed to PFAS in drinking water
The Environmental Protection Agency recently released testing data showing 143 million people — 11 million more than previously suspected — are exposed to PFAS forever chemicals via their drinking water.
The Environmental Working Group has released a map of PFAS testing results across the country, including hundreds in Minnesota.
“The EPA’s latest report confirms what scientists have feared: PFAS contamination is a public health disaster,” said David Andrews, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, in a statement. “Drinking water is a major source of PFAS exposure. The sheer number of contaminated sites shows that these chemicals are likely present in most of the U.S. water supply.”
Minnesota’s 3M was a leader in the development of PFAS chemicals, which have many industrial and commercial uses. The company dumped chemical waste in Washington County for decades, leading many residents to suspect a link between the contaminants and the local incidence of cancer.
The county stands out on the Environmental Working Group’s map with a high number of drinking water sources with PFAS levels above the EPA’s proposed limit.
Financial success, by generation
The typical Baby Boomer defines “financial success” as a salary of $100,000 a year with a net worth of about $1 million.
But the typical member of Gen Z, on the other hand, says you need to make closer to $600,000 a year with a net worth of nearly $10 million.
That’s according to a survey conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of Empower, a financial services firm. While it’s worth applying a bit of skepticism to numbers that come from a company trying to sell you things, Morning Consult is a solid enough pollster to merit some confidence in the results.
Gen Xers and Millennials stand between Zoomers and Boomers on their conceptions of financial security, so what you end up with is a sharp age-related gradient: the younger you are, the more money you think you need to be successful.
You could easily launch 1,000 different takes from this one observation. Is it due to increasing financial precarity? Superficiality and materialism among the young? The growth in home prices relative to income?
The answer to all those questions is likely a hearty “yes, and.”