Mapped: How each county voted in Minnesota's governor race

Strong support in the Twin Cities metro fueled Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz's re-election in Tuesday's midterms.

The big picture: Walz defeated Republican challenger Scott Jensen 52%-44.6%.

Zoom in: Seven in 10 voters in Hennepin and Ramsey counties voted for the DFL incumbent. He also won a majority of voters in Dakota and Washington counties.

• Yes, and: The areas surrounding Mankato and Rochester, as well as Northeastern Minnesota, were all in his win column.

The other side: Jensen performed best in conservative strongholds in Greater Minnesota. He won three-quarters of the vote in Pipestone County on the South Dakota border and in Marshall County in central Minnesota.

The bottom line: Republicans needed bigger gains in population centers to have a shot at flipping the state.