Humphrey Institute / MPR Poll: Franken and Coleman in Tight Race
The final Humphrey Institute / Minnesota Public Radio poll of Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race gives DFL nominee Al Franken a narrow 41 to 37 percent lead over Republican incumbent Norm Coleman. Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley received 17 percent.
From the Humphrey Institute’s Center for the Study of Politics and Governance:
The economic downturn, backlash against President Bush and the country’s general direction as well as heightened enthusiasm are boosting Mr. Franken, though he lags 15 points behind the Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama. Senator Coleman is boosted by his standing as a centrist and strong support among evangelicals and voters who regularly attend religious services.
The race remains quite fluid and may well shift in the final days of the campaign. In addition to the 5 percent who are undecided, 13 percent who currently support a candidate indicate that they may change their minds.
The MPR News/Humphrey Institute survey was conducted of 451 likely voters between October 24th and October 28th. The margin of error is 4.6 points.