A Star Tribune/MPR/KARE 11 poll released late Thursday shows President Joe Biden’s overall job approval in the Land of 10,000 Lakes below 50% for the first time. And once you go outside the Twin Cities, barely one-third of respondents are pleased with the president.
Gov. Tim Walz has also dropped below 50% support for the first time in his nearly three years in office. Like Biden, Walz is not popular outside of Hennepin and Ramsey counties. A year ago, Walz had a 57% approval rating.
The poll of approximately 800 Minnesota registered voters was conducted Sept. 13-15.
Biden’s slip cuts across nearly all demographics, except those under 35.
Minnesota’s men strongly reject Biden at 70%, while women continue their support at 64% with only 34% disapproval.
College graduates give Biden a 56% job approval, but non-college graduates reject him more strongly, at 38% approval and 59% disapproving.
Only one-third of political Independents in Minnesota approve of Biden.
The poll focused on performance, not issues, and therefore did not ask specific questions on issues like COVID-19, the southern border or the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Though Walz maintains nearly 90% support among Democrats, the ideological divide is vast, with the governor mustering only an 11% approval rating among Republicans.
Like Biden, Walz has more support among younger voters, female voters, and Twin Cities residents.
Sixty-two percent of people under 35 approve of Walz, while only 42% of voters ages 50-64 are happy with the governor.
Support among women was nearly double that of men, at a 63-34 gender margin.
Minnesota has notoriously not voted Republican in a presidential election since 1972, and no member of the GOP has been elected statewide in more than a decade. This is a trend the half-dozen Republicans seeking the GOP endorsement hope to change.
A.J. Kaufman
A.J. Kaufman is an Alpha News columnist. His work has appeared in the Baltimore Sun, Florida Sun-Sentinel, Indianapolis Star, Israel National News, Orange County Register, St. Cloud Times, Star-Tribune, and across AIM Media Midwest and the Internet. Kaufman previously worked as a school teacher and military historian.
