Public Policy Polling survey shows Trump in trouble in Minnesota; Walz solid

By: J. Patrick Coolican - April 27, 2020 2:22 pm

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks on stage during a campaign rally at the Target Center on October 10, 2019 in Minneapolis. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Liberal-leaning Alliance for a Better Minnesota commissioned a poll from Public Policy Polling, and the results show President Donald Trump’s hopes of flipping Minnesota looking distant.

The poll of 1,384 Minneosota voters, taken April 24-25, shows Trump’s approval rating is 40%.

First term DFL Gov. Tim Walz, meanwhile, is on solid ground, with 70% of Minnesota voters approving of his job performance.

Poll respondents were unimpressed with Trump’s handling of COVID-19, with just 39% approving, compared to 74% for Walz.

Trump, who lost Minnesota by just 44,000 votes in 2016, has been pouring money into the North Star State in recent months, hoping to become the first Republican since Richard Nixon to carry the state.

Polls from partisan leaning groups like Alliance for a Better Minnesota should always be viewed skeptically. Public Policy Polling earns a ‘B’ grade from FiveThirtyEight’s pollster ratings, with a slight Democratic lean of 0.3%.

Trump’s Minnesota numbers have bounced around the low-40s in public polling since 2017.

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J. Patrick Coolican

J. Patrick Coolican is Editor-in-Chief of Minnesota Reformer. Previously, he was a Capitol reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune for five years, after a Knight-Wallace Fellowship at the University of Michigan and time at the Las Vegas Sun, Seattle Times and a few other stops along the way. He lives in St. Paul with his wife and two young children