Who is more liked in Minnesota, Donald Trump or Kamala Harris?
According to a recent sample of Minnesotans planning to vote in the presidential election, the current vice president and former president are essentially tied in their favorability rating—with just less than half of respondents saying they like the candidates.
That was one of several conclusions from the latest “Minnesota Poll,” conducted by the Star Tribune, Minnesota Public Radio and KARE 11.
In addition to asking respondents who they plan to vote for in the presidential election, the poll also inquired how likely voters view both Trump and Harris.
Results from the survey published on Monday show that 46 percent of voters have a favorable opinion of Trump, compared to 47 percent who view Harris in a favorable light. About 53 percent of voters hold an “unfavorable” opinion of Trump as a candidate, compared to 51 percent who view Harris unfavorably.
Likely voters split down the middle on view of Walz
When asked about their view of Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’s vice presidential running mate, 48 percent of poll respondents viewed Walz “favorably,” while 47 percent held an “unfavorable” view of the Minnesota governor. Five percent said they were unsure on how they viewed Walz.
The poll was conducted between Sept. 16 and Sept. 18 and included responses from 800 likely voters from across the state. An explanation of the Minnesota Poll says its representative sample includes a political demographic formula of 36 percent self-identified Democrats, 30 percent self-identified Republicans, and 35 percent self-identified “Independents/other.”
7 percent of voters say they are ‘undecided’ on their presidential vote
When asked “If the 2024 presidential election was held today, which one of the following presidential/vice presidential tickets would you vote for,” 384 of 800 respondents (48 percent) answered “Harris/Walz,” while 344 of 800 respondents (43 percent) answered “Trump/Vance.”
Seven percent of respondents (56 of 800 voters) told the pollster they were undecided on how they would cast their vote for president.
Two percent of respondents (16 of 800 likely voters surveyed) indicated they would vote for another candidate. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
A Minnesota Poll conducted for the presidential race in late September 2020 showed a similar margin for the Democratic candidate, when Joe Biden led Trump by 6 points.
Trump favored on economy
While Trump trails Harris by five points among likely voters sampled, those same likely voters say they favor Trump by 7 percent over Harris when asked “Who do you trust more with the economy?” Also, nearly half of those surveyed view immigration as a “very serious issue,” and a combined 79 percent view immigration as “somewhat serious” or “very serious.”
Since 1988, the Florida and D.C.-based Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategies has conducted the Minnesota Poll for the Star Tribune. Minnesota Public Radio and KARE 11 joined the Minnesota Poll in recent election cycles.
Mason-Dixon says it’s conducted polling on politics and cultural or public policy issues for more than 350 media outlets. It also conducts polling for advocacy groups and businesses.
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.
