There's a tendency in Washington to believe Democrats have hit rock bottom in rural America, but the party still holds 12 House seats in districts President Trump carried. Three are in Minnesota. Democratic Rep. Tim Walz's decision to run for governor opens up a seat that voted for Trump 53 percent to 48 percent, giving Republicans an excellent takeover opportunity in a year when Democrats will be desperate to be on offense. The southern Minnesota 1st CD came apart for Democrats in 2016. The largest city, Rochester, is the home base of the Mayo Clinic and plenty of well-educated professionals. It voted for President Obama by three points in 2012 and for Hillary Clinton by one point in 2016. But Clinton collapsed in the rest of the district: it voted 49 percent to 48 percent for Obama in 2012 but a massive 55 percent to 36 percent for Trump in 2016. Walz was nearly swept away in the process, beating frequent GOP candidate Jim Hagedorn by just one point. But that doesn't mean the seat is a lost cause for
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