The two main population centers in that area are Woodbury and Stillwater. Woodbury is a rich suburb full of soulless McMansion housing developments and “nice” strip malls, and such suburbs (which ring Minneapolis and St. Paul) are the reddest parts of the state. Stillwater is centered on an old historic district (founded 1854, tied with St. Paul as the oldest cities in Minnesota) but is generally an exurb and as such fairly red itself. Bachmann herself lives in the exurb portion.

I have relatives in both Woodbury and Stillwater, and though most of those relatives are staunchly liberal, their neighbors aren’t. I grew up in a similar suburb, and there were very few of us “pesky liberals” around.

Now, St. Paul is still has a lot more people than the Woodbury/Stillwater/etc. area that McCollum’s district has picked up, so I don’t think there’s too much danger that McCollum will fall. Nonetheless, it’s a purpler district than it was last week. In a cycle (’14?) with low Democratic turnout, she could be in danger.

As for whether Bachmann’s district is more or less red now, it’s hard to say. Are my relatives and their fellow “pesky liberals” in Woodbury and Stillwater more numerous than their counterparts in the portion of Carver County (southwestern Minneapolis exurbs) that Bachmann is picking up? Maybe. Anyway, it’s still a conservative district.

It may be annoying for voters in a given district to have someone running who does not live in their district, but when the redistricting thing happens, I would imagine that easy-going Minnesotans would oblige a candidate they would otherwise support who happened to get redistricted out of their home location. I will be watching to see if it becomes a factor. This may in part depend on who is running against her.

And, I’m sorry to report, I’m not actually sure what the situation of the opposition candidate is at this moment.

May the force be with you.