Minnesota

Minnesota saw a most unusual bill introduced Thursday at the Capitol: a constitutional amendment to let counties secede from the state.

Bill sponsor Rep. Jeremy Munson said he wanted to give western Minnesota a shot to leave the North Star state and join a new, larger South Dakota. In a tweet, Munson linked to his fundraising site and tagged South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.

Munson, R-Lake Crystal, could have urged a union with North Dakota. But South Dakota's greater prominence over the past year as a state that has resisted lockdowns, masks and other anti-COVID-19 measures may have been the draw.

Clearly, this is a publicity stunt that isn't going anywhere. But we're all politics nerds here, myself especially. So rather than washing dishes Thursday night, I spent a few hours crunching the numbers on what it would mean if Munson's stunt actually came true.

Economically and demographically, it’s not the marriage made in heaven that people might think.

More: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/03/26/anaylsis-no-western-minnesota-wont-leave-for-south-dakota-heres-why