Even Reagan couldn’t win Minn - Biden going there suggests terrible internals; but we really don’t know.
Mondale was the Minnesota senator, and carried the sentimental vote. His running mate, Geraldine Ferraro, lost her home district in New York.
There have been changes, too. The increased violence from the Somalis Obama dropped into the state have shaken a lot of Minnesotans out of their comfy stupor.
If you remember, Reagan chose to not campaign in MN to leave Mondale with just a shred of credibility. Even at that, Mondale won by less than .25%