Burcum: We need a 'Good Life in Minnesota' sales pitch

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As Donald Trump enters his second term in the White House, Minnesota has an opportunity to recapture some of the state mojo evident in a long-ago Time magazine cover featuring former Gov. Wendell Anderson. Doing so could help address one of Minnesota's most troubling economic concerns: a stubborn workforce shortage.

Readers of a certain age may recall that August 1973 issue. For those who don't, it prominently features a grinning Anderson lakeside holding up his catch. The headline: "The Good Life in Minnesota."

There was more to the story, of course, than the northern pike on the governor's hook. Anderson, a DFLer, had first worked with a Republican Legislature in 1971 to craft the "Minnesota Miracle," which helped close the gap in services between small and large city governments. In 1972, he enlisted newly elected DFL legislative majorities to boost spending for schools and disability services and enacted powerful new open-meetings laws allowing citizens a new window into government.

The Time piece's premise: Minnesota was the state that worked. Author Greg Wierzynski lauded its diverse economy, public-minded corporate leadership, flourishing arts community, progressive politics and of course, its abundant hunting and fishing opportunities. (For background on how the story came to be, a 2013 MinnPost interview with Wierzynski has the details.)

Anderson died in 2016. As a young reporter, I had the chance to interview the charming ex-governor. After the election last week, I found myself thinking of "Wendy," as many Minnesotans called him, and the brash confidence on display in the iconic photo.

Current Gov. Tim Walz, as well as Minnesota businesses and other state boosters, could benefit from a dose of that swagger. There's an opportunity at hand after Donald Trump's re-election to attract new residents and employees from around the region. Minnesota's secret economic sauce has always been its educated workforce. That the state's support for Kamala Harris now makes it a blue island in a regional sea of political red is a chance to strengthen that advantage.

A look at 2024 electoral maps, which generally depict Democratic support as blue and Republican as red, makes clear that Minnesota is surrounded on all sides by states won by the former president. Whether that isolated status is good or bad depends on your perspective. Still, there's potential workforce gold to mine in these differences.

Trump won the electoral college decisively and the popular vote by 50.3% to Harris' 48%. But those figures camouflage intriguing divisions deeper in the data. Key takeaways with labor recruitment implications from Associated Press election results include:

• Harris handily carried the largest share of votes cast by voters in the 18-44 age range.
• Harris won 56% of voters with a college education to Trump's 43% support in that group.

There's a reason to focus on that 18-44 demographic slice. Those are prime years for being in the labor force. The age group includes those just entering it as well as workers with more established careers who are still a ways out from retirement. The higher percentage of college-educated voters who supported Harris suggests a pool of employees critical for a knowledge-based economy who might be newly open to relocating here.

A 2024 report from the Minnesota State Demographic Center strengthens the case for a more aggressive Minnesota sales pitch to young adults in the region, noting that doing so could help stem a two-decade-old trend of the state losing residents on net to other states.

"Policies designed to reach young adults as they make important migration decisions could make a greater impact than policies taking a more blanketed approach to all possible movers," the report concludes. "Further, viewing migration as a regional phenomenon rather than a national one may help more effectively reach those who are most likely to move to the state."

Voters in this age group are also more likely to be raising children, and thus looking for a state with family-friendly policies. As states compete for workers, Minnesota has strong selling points:

• One of the nation's most generous child tax credits.
• Reproductive health care rights enshrined into state law.
• Two world-class medical centers located here and innovative programs like MinnesotaCare that ease health insurance's affordability.
• A lower cost of living, particularly compared to coastal states.
• State leaders who take climate change seriously.
• A still-balanced economy anchored by this advantage: The "Twin Cities ranks 1st per capita among the 30 largest metros — and Minnesota ranks 5th — in Fortune 500 concentration per capita," according to the state Department of Employment and Economic Development.
• A thriving arts community and spectacular natural resources.
• The state's ongoing investment in clean water and environmental protections.

Critics will contend — fairly — that Minnesota has the nation's highest corporate income tax rate and one of the highest personal income tax rates (though Iowa and Wisconsin also crack the Top 10 for the latter). The state's winters also remain a deterrent. But if you're already in the region, you're acclimatized to the cold, a key reason an energetic Minnesota sales pitch would be best directed at residents of Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas.

Neighboring states have long sought to lure Minnesota businesses and emerging young talent away. Now's the time for the state to play offense instead of defense with a well-timed "The Good Life in Minnesota" campaign to lure workers who want their home state to reflect their personal values.