Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are polling just a few points ahead of a yet-to-be-determined Republican candidate in the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Tina Smith.
That surprising result came from an internal poll commissioned last month by the Flanagan campaign. The poll was first reported by political commentator Blois Olson on Friday. Craig and Flanagan are both seeking the DFL nomination for the U.S. Senate.
Conducted in September by Public Policy Polling, the survey polled 1,015 likely Minnesota voters. In one scenario, voters were asked to choose between Flanagan and “Republican Candidate.” The group was also asked to pick between Craig and “Republican Candidate.”
The poll showed Flanagan winning against the Republican by just two points while Craig bested the GOP candidate by a four-point margin.
With such a slim margin separating a Republican from the two DFLers in a potential general election matchup, the poll caught the eye of John Rouleau, a veteran conservative political strategist and executive director at the Minnesota Jobs Coalition.
“Even the liberals at (Public Policy Polling) can’t make this race look good for the DFL with their thumb on the scale,” Rouleau told Alpha News. “A race within the margin of error 14-months from the election and well before Minnesotans learn about the woke, liberal agenda championed by Flanagan and Craig, is a disastrous result for the Democrats.”
A Republican has not won a U.S. Senate race in Minnesota since 2002 when Norm Coleman defeated former Vice President Walter Mondale. Last year, DFL Senator Amy Klobuchar beat former NBA player Royce White, a Republican, by roughly 16 points.
Smith, who announced in February that she would not seek reelection next year, defeated former Congressman Jason Lewis by approximately 5 points in 2020.
So far, three Republicans have said they will seek the open Senate seat: Navy veteran Tom Weiler, retired Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze, and White. Earlier this year former NFL sideline reporter and journalist Michele Tafoya said she was considering a run for the Senate.
In addition to gauging the general election, the Public Policy Polling survey examined the favorability of the two DFL candidates. According to the poll, 68% of Democrats surveyed for the poll said they have a favorable view of Flanagan. Meanwhile, 57% of the same group said they have a favorable view of Craig.
As such, Flanagan appears to have an advantage against Craig when it comes to navigating what could become a brutal DFL primary.
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
