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IrelandWCCO's election special puts Minnesota's narrow majorities in focus
Esme Murphy's panel weighs Trump's influence and household costs, while a voter in Blaine makes the case for paying attention to city councils.
WCCO - CBS Minnesota
Story of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 46,303 views a day, 84 times a normal first day on this channel (553).
LIVE 2026 Midterm Election Special: Minnesota election results, analysis and more
Things we can learn from the video
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- 0:00Minnesota's narrow legislative margins put control of the state House and Senate at stake.
- 1:23Blaine voters raise economic concerns and urge greater involvement in city council elections.
- 4:38Murphy's panel considers whether a national Democratic wave will extend to Minnesota.
- 7:11Analysts weigh Trump's influence, tariffs and household costs; Republican analyst Frederiksen says she opposes the tariffs.
- 11:41Amara identifies Brad Finstad's congressional race as an early indicator of the election's direction.
- 18:50The panel examines early Minnesota governor and Senate returns, not final results.
Dean Benedict has a reminder for anyone watching the national election drama: local government matters, too. "People really need to get more involved about your city council, because that's very important," he tells WCCO reporter Jeff Wagner in Blaine.
That local perspective runs through WCCO - CBS Minnesota's election-night special, which drew roughly 46,000 views in its first day. The station's long broadcasts and live streams usually draw only a few hundred over that period.
Frank Vascellaro opens with Minnesota's narrowly divided legislature before the broadcast turns to Esme Murphy and analysts Abou Amara and Amy Frederiksen. Their discussion connects the national Democratic wave to Minnesota's races, with competing readings of Trump's influence and the pressure of everyday expenses. Frederiksen, the Republican analyst, explicitly rejects his tariff policy: "I don't support these tariffs."
The panel also singles out Congressman Brad Finstad's district as an early indicator of the night's direction, then examines preliminary returns from Wisconsin and Minnesota. Those are election-night snapshots, not final outcomes: WCCO's subsequent reporting says Democrats won Minnesota's governor's race and flipped the state House, restoring unified DFL control. The station notes that the results remain unofficial.
The special wasn't WCCO's only election upload drawing unusual attention. Its separate report on CBS News' projection of Democratic control of Congress attracted an even larger audience, while its morning headlines roundup also ran well above its usual start.
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- Channel
- WCCO - CBS Minnesota
- Subscribers
- 422,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 1,068,818
- Channel views, pace per day
- 353,713 (on a normal day: 210,385)
- Video published
- November 4, 2026
- Video views so far
- 49,958 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 44,458
The numbers
The live special drew far more views than WCCO's usual long broadcasts. Its separate congressional-results report also had an unusually strong start.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which city is Minnesota's state capital?
Saint Paul is Minnesota's capital, while neighboring Minneapolis is the state's largest city.