With the upcoming Nov. 5 general election, how Minnesotans land on issues like gun violence, the war in Gaza, abortion and civil rights will make or break campaigns.

Current Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz lead by 1.2% over former President Donald Trump and running mate Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, according to 270towin’s nationwide polls.

In a close race like this, the presidency will be decided by how well candidates can motivate voters around hot-button issues.

Affordability in MN

Minnesota Republican Party Executive Director Anna Mathews said the main issues many Republicans focus on are inflation and taxes. The current DFL-led state legislature had an $18 billion surplus in the 2024 session, yet Mathews said they still choose to raise taxes for Minnesotans.

“I remember when Trump was in office last time around, gas was cheap,” Mathews said. “You could get gas for less than two bucks a gallon, which sounds so crazy now.”

The Democratic Party of Minnesota did not respond to the Minnesota Daily’s request in time for publication.

Fourth-year University of Minnesota student Benjamin Lindeen said affordable housing and healthcare costs motivate him to vote.

Lindeen said he feels encouraged by Harris’ healthcare plans that involve negotiating Medicare drug prices and outlining other affordable solutions to rising healthcare costs.

“Not to speak of anything towards their personal character, but just on policy alone, the issues, I think that it is an absolute slam dunk and not even a contest between the two candidates,” Lindeen said.

Mathews said even though affordability concerns may seem broad, voters should try to inform themselves about which candidate they feel best addresses their concerns. Mathews added ensuring affordable housing and a stable economy are vital for students who will soon be entering the workforce.

“I think that really the question kind of is as I’m trying to build my life and as I’m trying to get ahead and as I’m trying to invest well and think about my future,” Mathews said. “Money is a big part of that. The economy is a big part of that.”

Civil, reproductive rights on the ballot

Lindeen said concerns about how a future Trump presidency may chip away at the rights to free speech and expression are a strong motivator for him. Trump advocated in the past to deport individuals who protested about the ongoing war in Gaza.

“I think just from that stance, there are so many different ways in which we take freedoms in a free society, a Western society for granted,” Lindeen said.

Co-Executive Director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life Cathy Blaeser said current abortion laws in Minnesota are a good predictor of what a Harris-Walz administration would pursue.

“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have some of the most extreme abortion positions really ever seen,” Blaeser said. “They would be the most extreme pro-abortion candidates to have our country if they were to win.”

Walz signed broad abortion rights protections in January 2024 to ensure the state’s current abortion protections remain regardless of future U.S. Supreme Court decisions, according to reporting by AP News.

A Trump-Vance presidency, meanwhile, would restrict abortion access, Blaeser said.

“They are much more open to providing women with actual choices, actual choices to be able to have their child, not just the choice of abortion, but choices that actually provide for financial assistance that provide for emotional assistance and support assistance and education assistance and tax assistance,” Blaeser said.

Trump nominated three Supreme Court justices during his presidency, which was crucial in the eventual overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2020. The Trump campaign has not confirmed if he would veto a national abortion ban, according to reporting by Time Magazine.

Politicians running on crime, gun control

The typical Republican Party focus on crime is continuing this election cycle, Mathews said.

“In Minneapolis, we’re feeling it more deeply than in other parts of the country,” Mathews said. “We’re obviously ground zero for George Floyd. Stuff still has not calmed down here.”

Fourth-year University student and member of Students Demand Action Timberlyn Mazeikis said the group is encouraging students to vote by visiting classrooms and advocating for gun-sensed candidates through voter guides.

Everytown, the parent organization of Students Demand Action, endorsed the Harris-Walz campaign because they supported gun control measures. During her vice presidency, Harris has overseen the White House Office of Gun Violence and Prevention.

“All of this progress that we’ve made under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, and we don’t want to see that progress reverse,” Mazeikis said. “All of this work that they’ve done, we really can’t go back. It’s going to put lives at risk”

Violent crimes such as homicide, rape and robbery increased in Minnesota in 2020 which is speculated to be caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and riots following the killing of George Floyd, according to reporting by the Minnesota Reformer.

Mathews said though Vance received criticism for his comments about crime during his visit to Minneapolis, crime was lower before Walz took office.

Vance said at a rally in Arizona that restricting access to guns will not end mass shootings and instead, Congress will fund more school security efforts, according to reporting by AP News. Vance also said he does not like the idea of hardened security but it is a necessary “fact of life.”

Mazeikis, who transferred to Minnesota from Michigan State University following a school shooting that took place there in 2023, said she urges students to use their vote and inform themselves about gun violence before it impacts them.

“It came right to my doorstep, and I have that knowledge of gun violence doesn’t discriminate,” Mazeikis said. “It can happen anywhere to anyone, and I would urge people to take action before they become a victim of something as horrible as gun violence.”

Israel-Palestine in terms of voting

The Minnesota Chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations Director of Advocacy Osman Ahmed said the council is doing outreach to the community to educate voters and support refugees coming to the state.

“People make their own minds, but for us, we educate them about housing, education, especially foreign relations,” Ahmed said. “With the war in Gaza, we specifically worked with families and Palestinians in Minnesota to actually connect with their legislators.”

Ahmed said the Council does not endorse certain candidates but rather focuses on informing others about foreign policy and encouraging others to participate in the U.S.’ civic processes.

Over 40,000 people have died in Gaza, around 16,000 of them being children from Oct. 7 2023 to Oct. 9, 2024, according to reporting by Al Jazeera News.

The Council of American-Islamic Affairs joined the Free Palestine Coalition and other community groups in May to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Ahmed said going beyond politics is necessary for people to view the war with humanity and care.

“I think any human being, any person with heart, with family, with values, with humanity, should care when children have died,” Ahmed said.