Rural Minnesotans who backed Tim Walz in seven elections could potentially vote for Trump in November, according to a report.

A new report indicates that while rural Minnesota voters elected Democrat Gov. Tim Walz six times for Congress and once for governor, their preferences have shifted.

According to Politico, it appears that the residents of Albert Lea, Minnesota, a small town with a population of 18,000 in Freeborn County, are turning away from their support for Walz.

Terry Gjersvik, a local Democrat who lost his bid for a state house seat in 2018, stated to Politico that he believes Trump has never been stronger in rural areas.

Rural areas and small towns in Minnesota have shown support for former President Trump at around 60 percent or above, according to both national and state polls.

The campaign of Harris-Walz is focusing on rural regions prior to the upcoming election in November.

"John Anzalone, a veteran pollster and Harris adviser, stated that if Walz can improve his performance by a couple of points in rural areas and multiply that by the number of rural areas in the states, it would be a significant achievement. Anzalone added that Walz is the first nominee in modern history, possibly since Carter, who can connect with small town and rural America."

According to Politico, many Freeborn County locals who had previously voted Democrat were planning to support Trump.

Rich Murray, the mayor of Albert Lea, stated to Politico that he believes Harris and Walz will win the state, but the governor will not be successful in getting votes in this area, which was not the case before 2016.

In 2006, Walz carried Freeborn County when he unseated a Republican in his House race, but by 2016, the county's support for him narrowed and it went for Trump twice.

In 2018, Walz barely won the county as governor, but he lost the race for reelection in 2022 to Republican Scott Jensen by almost 15 points, a nearly 30 percentage point swing against him from his first Congressional race in 2006.

As governor, Walz shifted his tone from moderate to liberal, enacting laws on universal background checks, free school lunches, and protections for abortion and gender transitions. However, these policies, along with lingering frustration over his COVID response, did not resonate with voters in places like Freeborn County.

"Karla Salier, a Freeborn resident, referred to the actions of Democrats as a 'smash and grab' in the Capitol. She stated that they aimed to obtain everything possible to establish a sanctuary for transgenders and illegals, adding that they acted recklessly."

The shift in voter behavior might be due to polarization.

According to Eric Ostermeier, a politics professor at University of Minnesota, who spoke to Politico, the voters have changed, and their willingness to split their ticket has also shifted.

""As people become more entrenched in their own information silos and view the opposing party as evil, it becomes challenging for individuals to find common ground and vote for a candidate based on their personality rather than their political affiliation," he stated."