Minnesota State Auditor Julie Blaha speaks on close election win following Tuesday midterms

(St. Paul, MN) -- Minnesota's incumbent state auditor spoke with WDAY Midday following her narrow election win. 

Julie Blaha was re-elected on Tuesday to remain Minnesota's State Auditor. The race, which was separated by .34 percentage points and by only 8,437 votes, kept the candidate on edge into the next morning, when her results were officially tabulated. 

"We knew that going into it that it was going to be close," said Blaha, "My results, [we] really couldn't call it until 5:38 in the morning, when every single precinct was in. Until then I couldn't sleep."

Blaha believes the race was close because multiple different of candidates and what she calls less "public polling attention" from larger entities that sample the opinions of the public. She reemphasized that her messaging towards supporting local level government, and not putting the seat into the public eye, may have made the difference between winning and losing the seat. 

"That I think was the message that people really received the strongest," said Blaha, "[Voters] want to see people who can work together - even when things are tough - even when you don't agree on every single thing, you stay together to find a solution."

You can learn more about Minnesota's State Auditor's office by clicking here.