RCP Senate Map | Senate Polls | RCP House Map | Generic Vote | RCP Governor Map | Governor Polls | All 2018 Polls
RCP Senate Map | Senate Polls | RCP House Map | Generic Vote | RCP Governor Map | Governor Polls | All 2018 Polls
RCP Ranking: Safe Dem
Key 2018 Races: Governor | Senate (Special) | MN-1 | MN-2
MN-3 | MN-7 | MN-8
----------PAST KEY RACES----------
2016: President | MN-2 | MN-3 | MN-8
2014: Governor | Senate | MN-1 | MN-2 | MN-7 | MN-8
2012: President | Senate | MN-6 | MN-8
2010: Governor | MN-1 | MN-6 | MN-7 | MN-8
2008: President | Senate | MN-3 | MN-6
2006: Senate | Governor | MN-6
2004: President
Poll | Date | Sample | MoE | Klobuchar (D) | Newberger (R) | Spread |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Final Results | -- | -- | -- | 60.3 | 36.2 | Klobuchar +24.1 |
KSTP/SurveyUSAKSTP-TV | 10/29 - 10/31 | 600 LV | 5.2 | 57 | 34 | Klobuchar +23 |
Star Tribune/Mason-Dixon*Star Tribune/Mason-Dixon* | 10/15 - 10/17 | 800 LV | 3.5 | 56 | 33 | Klobuchar +23 |
NBC News/MaristNBC/Marist | 9/30 - 10/4 | 637 LV | 4.9 | 63 | 33 | Klobuchar +30 |
Star Tribune/Mason-DixonStar Tribune | 9/10 - 9/12 | 800 LV | 3.5 | 60 | 30 | Klobuchar +30 |
KSTP/SurveyUSAKSTP-TV | 9/6 - 9/8 | 574 LV | 4.9 | 53 | 38 | Klobuchar +15 |
Suffolk*Suffolk* | 8/17 - 8/20 | 500 LV | 4.4 | 54 | 34 | Klobuchar +20 |
EmersonEmerson | 8/8 - 8/11 | 500 LV | 4.6 | 50 | 26 | Klobuchar +24 |
It is difficult to imagine today, but before the 1940s there was no Democratic Party in Minnesota to speak of. From the election of Abraham Lincoln through 1948, it had never elected a Democratic senator (though one was appointed for a two-month stint in 1900). It sent a total of 15 Democrats to Congress during that time. But the Democratic Party fused with the left-leaning Farmer-Labor Party in 1944 and created a dominant force in state politics. From 1948 through 1978 the tables were turned: the state elected just one Republican senator.
In the mid-'70s, the DFL began to decline in popularity, and for a time the state had two Republican senators. Today it is thought of as a swing state, even though it hasn't voted Republican at the presidential level since 1972.
The state's senior senator is Amy Klobuchar, a former Hennepin County (Minneapolis) attorney. Elected in 2006 by a surprising 21-point margin, she has maintained high levels of popularity despite a voting record that is probably to the left of the state. None of her Republican challengers seem likely to pose much of a threat to her, especially in the present environment.