Poll: Minnesota Now in Play as Biden Lead Slips to 3 Points

A poll released by Emerson College on Tuesday shows presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s lead over President Donald Trump has slipped to three points in the key battleground state of Minnesota.

The Emerson College poll of 733 likely registered voters in Minnesota was conducted between August 8 and 10, and has a margin of error of 3.6 percent, which means the contest between Biden and Trump in the state is currently a statistical tie.

The poll results continue the trend of momentum at both the national and battleground state level in the direction of President Trump, who has significantly narrowed the gap against Biden over the past three weeks.

President Trump narrowly lost Minnesota and its ten electoral college votes in the 2016 presidential election, garnering just 44,000 fewer votes than Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Minnesota is ground zero of the Black Lives Matter inspired riots and protests that have swept the country since the death of George Floyd during his arrest by officers of the Minneapolis Police Department in May.

The poll found:

A new Emerson College Poll finds Minnesota is competitive again in 2020, with 50% of voters planning on supporting former VP Joe Biden and 47% intending to vote for President Trump. While the race is close, only 3% of voters remain undecided. Of voters who plan to vote by mail, 91% plan to vote for Biden, and of those who plan to vote in person, 68% plan to vote for Trump.

President Trump’s approval rating amongst Minnesota voters is slightly underwater, with 46% approval, and 51% disapprove of his job performance, with 3% remaining neutral. Among independent voters, Trump’s approval is at 45% approval, and 47% disapproval.

First-term Governor Tim Walz has a more favorable view, with 50% approving of his job performance, 41% disapproving and 9% holding a neutral opinion on the Governor.

The poll also found that incumbent Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) leads former Congressman Jason Lewis (R-MN), who won the Republican primary on Tuesday, by a similar three point margin, 48 percent to 45 percent, which is within the poll’s margin of error.