Survey: Clinton Leads Trump Among Potential Minnesota Voters
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A new survey by a Minnesota university shows that Hillary Clinton has a significant lead over Donald Trump among potential Minnesota voters.
St. Cloud State University's survey shows that, among respondents, 46 percent would vote for Clinton if the election were held today. Thirty-five percent said they would vote for Trump.
Female respondents were sharply divided among the candidates, with 59 percent saying they would vote for Clinton and only 28 percent indicating support for Trump. Men, on the other hand, were more evenly split, with 35 percent supporting Clinton and 43 percent supporting Trump.
Only 32 percent of respondents felt the nation is heading in the right direction, and that metric is decidedly different when you split it by candidate support. Sixty-two percent of Clinton supporters believe the country is on the right track, while only 3 percent of Trump supporters think we are moving in the right direction.
Predictably for the mostly blue Minnesota, 44 percent of respondents identified as Democratic, with 32 percent identifying as Republican.
Also typical for the state, the survey expects voter turnout to be high. Eighty-three percent of respondents indicated they are "almost certain" to vote in the upcoming election. Only about 4 percent said they would not vote, with 11 percent being undecided.
The most important issue in this election, at both the state and national level, according to respondents, is health care. Terrorism and the economy were second and third at the national level. Education and taxes ranked highly at the state level.
Immigration was a divisive issue among respondents. Ninety-three percent of Clinton supporters believe immigrants have a very positive (38 percent) or somewhat positive (55 percent) effect on the country. Among likely Trump voters, only 43 percent believe immigrants have a very or somewhat positive effect on the country. Fifty-eight percent of Trump supporters supported building the wall and 94 percent of Clinton voters oppose it.
Unsurprisingly, support for President Barack Obama was deeply split among party lines. Ninety-six percent of Clinton supporters had a favorable opinion of Obama and 85 percent of Trump voters held an unfavorable view. On the whole, 56 percent of respondents view him favorably while 38 percent view him unfavorably.
At the state level, about half of respondents think Minnesota is heading in the right direction. Last year, 58 percent of respondents said the state was on the right track, while only 53 percent said so this year. A slight dip, but SCSU said this was still the second highest percentage in the last 15 years.
In terms of support for state leaders, Sen. Amy Klobuchar had a 57 percent favorable view, with 21 percent reporting an unfavorable view. Gov. Mark Dayton had a 50 percent favorable view while 35 percent viewed him unfavorably. Sen. Al Franken had the lowest approval rating. Forty-nine percent of respondents had a favorable view of him, with 30 percent saying they had an unfavorable view. All of these figures represent slight drops from last year's approval ratings.
The survey was conducted over the phone with a representative sample of 431 adults in Minnesota. To see the full survey, click here.