Over the past decade, the people of Minnesota have tended to elect leaders on the extreme ideological end of their party, from former-professional-wrestler-turned-celebrity-governor Jesse Ventura to the unabashedly liberal former political science professor Paul Wellstone, now one of the state's U.S. senators.

Such selections are no departure for a state that has produced some notable political leaders over the last half century, including former Vice Presidents Walter Mondale and Hubert Humphrey and perennial presidential candidate Harold Stassen.

The 2000 presidential election, however, suggested that the state might be starting to tip toward the Republicans. Minnesota, with a population of nearly 5 million, has a tradition of a strong three-party system, with the Farmer-Labor Party dominating state politics in the 1920s and 1930s.

The party lost steam in the 1930s, finally losing its hold on state politics to the Republicans in 1938 because of party members' ties to Communists. By 1944 the party had merged with the Democrats to form the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

The DFL, with a strong blue-collar voter base, was solidified with Hubert Humphrey's election to the Senate in 1948, and continued to play a major role in Minnesotan politics in succeeding years.

The state currently has two Democratic senators for the first time since 1978, but according to the Almanac of American Politics 2002, "no candidate of either party has won a Senate race with more than 50.4 percent of the vote since 1988." Minnesota has not voted Republican in a presidential election since 1972, making it the state with the longest streak of voting Democratic.

In the hotly debated 2000 election, however, the numbers were close, and the state went to Democrat Al Gore with a margin of only two percent. President Bush won the vote of Republicans under 30, which speaks to the possibility of a continuing trend in the state.

With Sen. Paul Wellstone battling former St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman, a Republican, for control of his seat in Congress, this election year will prove whether the North Star State will remain true to its Democratic past, or whether a new generation of voters will tip the balance toward the GOP.

Minnesota has excelled in public policy, becoming the first state to implement an anti-smoking bill, and also the first with authorized charter schools and school choice. Welfare reform enacted in 1995 increased spending while simultaneously creating jobs for recipients.

Minnesota was also one of the first states to have health maintenance organizations. Urban Institute studies show these policies have contributed to higher earnings, decreased poverty and better school performance in the state.

Minnesotans also have more marriage stability than many states. Its divorce and crime rates are lower than in most other parts of the country. Innovation and technology have helped Minnesota's economy become more solid, with companies such as 3M -- the inventor of Post-It Notes and Scotch tape - and IDS - the first company to mass market mutual funds -- adding to Minnesota's healthy economic base.

--By Jessica Moore, Online NewsHour