Eric Austin was born and raised in the northwest corner of Minnesota. After graduating from Bemidji State University he found a teaching job in Central Minnesota and moved his family farther south along the Mississippi River. He now resides in St. Cloud and teaches United States Government at a local high school.
Growing up in northwestern and northern Minnesota, it was abundantly clear that there was and continues to be a divide in Minnesota politics and government between the urban core of the twin cities and the rest of “outstate” Minnesota. While I cannot speak for those who live in the southern part of the state, I can say that the feeling for those of us in the north was that Minnesota ended at St. Cloud and the rest of us to the north of that were largely forgotten or ignored.
To that end, Outstate Politics seeks to bring you those political stories and races that are largely beyond the outer ring of twin cities suburbs.
To begin our coverage area will mainly be limited to the outstate portions of the 6th Congressional District, the 7th Congressional District, and the Senate Districts in and around St. Cloud. However, my hope is to expand that coverage to outstate politics across the state with your help. Consider joining Outstate Politics and write about the politics in your area of Minnesota.
