While Washington County is widely considered a conservative stronghold, an analysis of this year's election results reveals a more complicated political picture - one in which many residents split their ticket to vote for candidates from multiple parties.

The area remained more conservative than the state as a whole, with Republican presidential nominee John McCain and Sen. Norm Coleman both doing several percentage points better here than they did throughout Minnesota.

(Download a precinct-by-precinct breakdown of how St. Croix Valley residents voted.)

President-elect Barack Obama still topped McCain here, however, taking 51.3 percent of the vote to McCain's 46.9 percent, suggesting many local Republicans crossed party lines to vote for the Illinois Democrat.

Coleman fared significantly better locally, handily beating Democrat Al Franken 46.9 percent to 37.2 percent in Washington County's initial count. At the state level, Coleman edged Franken out by less than 0.01 percent, prompting a statewide recount that won't be concluded until mid-December.

Washington County officials finished their recount of the U.S. Senate race Friday afternoon, reporting Coleman at 46.4 percent and Franken at 36.8 percent. Coleman lost 55 votes and Franken 67, with the camps together challenging 110 ballots. Statewide, Coleman is leading Franken 42.2 percent to 40.9 percent with 65.65 percent of ballots recounted as of 8 p.m. Sunday.

Washington County voters' Republican leanings didn't extend to U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, who finished 3.8 percentage points behind Democrat Elwyn Tinklenberg here despite winning the 6th District as a whole 46.4 percent to 43.4 percent.

Experience seemed to be the biggest factor in local state House races, which both incumbents won easily.

In District 52A, Matt Dean (R-Dellwood) bested Kate Christopher 55.6 percent to 44.3 percent despite the fact that Obama took the district by 0.7 percentage points.

In District 56B, Julie Bunn (DFL-Lake Elmo) topped Kathy Lohmer 52.7 percent to 47.1 percent, faring slightly better than Obama, who won the district by 2.9 percentage points.

On the basis of presidential election results, the most conservative of the 28 St. Croix Valley precincts studied by the Gazette were: Lakeland Shores (57.5 percent for McCain), Grant (56.1), West Lakeland Township (55.8), Lake Elmo Precinct 2 (54.0) and Baytown Township (52.2).

By the same measure, the most liberal precincts in the area were: Marine on St. Croix (66.1 percent for Obama), Stillwater Ward 1 Precinct 1 (64.3), Stillwater W-2 P-4 (62.9), Stillwater W2-P-5 (58.7) and Oak Park Heights P-1 (58.1).