Kerry edges Bush in Minnesota

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/7829912.htm

A new statewide poll shows that Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts would defeat President Bush in Minnesota, although the margin is so small, pollsters consider the race a statistical dead heat.

The poll, commissioned by the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Minnesota Public Radio, puts Kerry at 43 percent, Bush at 41 percent and undecided Minnesota voters at 16 percent. The poll was taken shortly after Kerry's victories in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, which have given him momentum versus the rest of the field.

Bush fared better against all other Democratic presidential contenders in Minnesota, the poll found, but many of those races would also be close.

The Minnesota results are somewhat similar to those in a nationwide poll taken late last week for Newsweek, which showed Kerry leading Bush 49 percent to 46 percent, but Bush ahead of all other Democratic candidates.

In Minnesota, Bush would defeat Gen. Wesley Clark by a 5-point margin, Sen. John Edwards by a 6-point margin, Sen. Joseph Lieberman by an 8-point margin and Vermont Gov. Howard Dean by a 14-point margin. Among women, however, Democrats would defeat Bush — except Dean, who lagged by 1 point with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 points.

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[grannylib]

1. I can't believe Minnesotans would be so stupid as to vote for Chimpy

given the way he and his neocon clones (like Gov. Pawlenty) are gutting every program that does not further enrich the already-wealthy, and the number of children that are truly left behind under this misadministration...
C'mon Minnesota! We are better than that...

[goodhue]

10. believe it

Its not the state it once was, what with the suburbs booming with new arrivals. MN will be very much in play in 04 GE.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

2. It's scary that it is close

:scared:

[trotsky]

3. Nah

Consider that none of Minnesota (except for the extreme southern part, picking up signals from Iowa stations) has seen anything other than soundbites from the candidates, framed by how the "liberal" media wants us to hear them. Kerry's message is virtually unheard, and yet he beats Bush*.

Just imagine what it will be like when the Democratic nominee is actually campaigning nationally. * won't stand a chance.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

8. O.K. It's not that bad. Bush has lost support from 2000:

Bush 1,109,659 (45.5%)
Gore 1,168,266 (47.9%)
Nader 126,696 (5.2%) http://presidentelect.org/e2000.html

[goodhue]

11. bush has very good chance of winning MN

The state is no longer democratic. Just look at current leadership in state house and in the governors office. We looking at constitutional amendments this year to allow death penalty and disallow gay marriage. That follows on a year with gun permits for all and abortion notice and waiting period.

Folks need to wake up and realize that this election will not be won or lost in the south but in the midwest. Unfortunately someone from the NE won't play all that well. Sad but true.

[Bombtrack]

4. If Minnesota is a swingstate in November we are in trouble

it shouldn't be one of the 15 or 16 states up for grabs.

Hopefully all other blue states besides OR, NM, IO, WI, MI, NH, and ME will be relatively safe

[NNN0LHI]

5. Don't forget not too long ago Chimpy had a 90% approval rating

Those 90% were not all Republicans. We have come a long way if you think about it.

Don

[mot78]

6. It was a swing state last time too

If Nader hadn't been in the race, it might have been relatively safe. MI, OH, PA, AZ, MN, FL, OR, NH, West-VA, and WI are also swing states. The pundits on Faux were practically having orgasms yesterday over the fact that * has a 52% job approval rating in California...they think it will actually be in play. Once the election heats up, if * tries to use Ahhhnold to campaign with him, we should remind voters there that * is just as responsible as Davis for their bad economy.

[goodhue]

12. It will be swing! Get used to it.

[JI7]

7. are they upset with norm coleman?

do they regret voting for him ? i wouldn't be surprised if they do. i want that punk out of the senate. and it makes me sick knowing he will be there for still 5 more years.

[LTR]

9. Minnesota and Republicans

Coleman only got in because Wellstone was killed a week before the election. And Pawlenty was the beneficiary of weak opposition (although if I still lived in Minnesota, I would have favored independent Tim Penny), just as Jesse Ventura was four years prior (Skip Humphrey and Norm Coleman??? Puh-leeze!).

Time will tell if these guys will actually be re-elected.

At least there's still Mark Dayton.

[TucsonGreen]

13. This is scary

Minnesota is the ONLY state that has gone Democratic every election since 1972. If Kerry isn't WALLOPING Bush in the polls there, it doesn't say much for his electability.

[goodhue]

14. its not about Kerry

Dean wouldn't do much better.
MN has had huge influx in population and great shifts in population to outer ring suburbs. DFL used to control through combo of rural and city support but now dwarfed by outer suburban replublicans whose strength keeps on growing and growing and growing . . .

2004 will be about who wins the midwest (MN, WI, IA, MI, OH, MO).

[SaveElmer]

15. Minnesota has been swinging right...but this is encouraging

I have been warning for sometime now that Minnesota is not the progressive state it once was. It is definitely in play...however, given that we are this far out from the election, and most in Minnesota are not tuning in yet, this is a pretty good result.

[goodhue]

16. yes this poll is good news

folks who are shocked likely have not been following MN politics in last 5 years.

[SaveElmer]

17. Definitely...Democrats have been negligent

Democrats have been trying to appeal to southern conservatives, and in the process are losing their hold on the midwest. If you ask me we outta forget about trying to win the south, and concentrate on areas where there are the most swing voters, midwest, west, and southwest.

[goodhue]

18. yes very negligent

they need to stop talking about the south already and wake up to possible loss of midwest