They are decidedly disinterested when party activists convene for their bruising endorsement battles. And they are largely nonparticipants when those endorsement struggles spill over into later primary showdowns. But they hold the balance of power when general election voters make final judgments on statewide candidates for public office.

“They” are the suburban moms, who include soccer moms, hockey moms and working moms who congregate at any sports-related activity that attracts their sons and daughters.  Some are older and include some grandmas. They are generally well educated and well informed, and they vote in November. While their biggest clusters are found in the Twin Cities suburbs, they are also found in sizable numbers in central cities and the Rochester area, most college cities, many county seats and perhaps in fewer isolated hamlets.

Issues are important to them

Issues matter much more to them than party labels. They are more interested in what candidates stand for than what they are against. Angry white males need not apply for their vote.  Single-issue candidates do not impress them. They are turned off by anti-education rhetoric and by negative or indifferent attitudes toward the environment. But they also appreciate fiscal discipline. However, they are suspicious of the “No Tax Increase For Any Reason” crowd — until they have carefully examined the alternatives. While this may sound like a bundle of incongruities, there is considerable room for savvy candidates.

“They” are the largest bloc of swing voters in Minnesota. Put another way, they are classic ticket-splitters in a state that has carved out a curious reputation by being the only state to vote Democratic in the last nine presidential elections. But until Mark Dayton’s narrow victory in the last election, DFLers had not elected a governor in 24 years. And Republicans won five straight U.S. Senate elections in the late '70s and '80s.  Historians and others with long memories will recall that Minnesota is a state where a Republican won 18 straight presidential elections from statehood until FDR broke that streak in 1932.

Influence is heightened now

The importance of suburban moms is on the rise. Their influence is heightened as Republicans and Democrats lurch to the extremes of the Right and Left. Although it may sound like “they” have a left-of-center orientation, it would be unsound advice for DFLers to take this group for granted.

While it may be tempting to dismiss this as the musings of an aging chronicler, it is also possible that candidates who ignore this important faction may wake up on Nov. 6 and wonder, “What Happened?”

I reach these conclusions not through googling or the use of other electronic gizmos, nor through the use of focus groups or public polling, but through nearly six decades of experience and observation regarding our fascinating political system.

Gene Lahammer covered public affairs during much of his 34-year career with the Associated Press. Since retirement in 1994, he has served as an auxiliary member of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, has been an election consultant to the AP, and has been an occasional magazine contributor.