Minnesota avoids losing House seat to New York by 89 people

@ap.news The sun sets on the U.S. Capitol building, Thursday, March 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota barely avoided losing one of its eight seats in Congress and one of its 10 electoral votes thanks to a nation-leading effort to get people to respond to the 2020 census.

Census data released Monday showed that Minnesota edged New York for the final seat allotted by just 89 people.

Minnesota’s overall growth rate, including citizens living overseas, was 7.4%. That’s slightly better than the overall nationwide rate of 7.1%. Minnesota was aided by the country’s best voluntary response rate of three-fourths. Hamline University political scientist David Schultz calls Minnesota’s retaining the seat “the proverbial dodging of the bullet.”