A new poll shows that Democrat Keith Ellison holds a small lead over Republican Doug Wardlow in Minnesota’s attorney general race.
According to a Star Tribune and MPR News poll, Ellison carries the support of 41 percent of voters, while Wardlow trails close behind with 36 percent. Like many races across the state, both candidates are campaigning to secure the support of undecided voters as 18 percent of respondents have yet to make a decision on who they want their next attorney general to be.
The results show that Ellison holds strong numbers in name recognition among voters, with 80 percent of respondents saying they are familiar with his name, but Ellison’s popularity doesn’t necessarily translate to support. Just 20 percent of likely Minnesota voters have a favorable opinion of Ellison, while 31 percent view him unfavorably.
The majority of likely Minnesota voters have a neutral opinion of Wardlow, though less than a third recognize his name, and he trails Ellison among female voters. Ellison’s campaign, however, can’t seem to escape multiple domestic-abuse allegations leveled against the candidate.
Earlier this week, one of Ellison’s accusers, Karen Monahan released a medical record showing that she discussed the alleged abuse with a doctor in 2017, while a police record corroborates the allegations from Ellison’s first accuser.
Overall, 21 percent of Minnesota voters said they believe Monahan’s story, and 22 percent said they don’t. Only 5 percent of Democratic voters, however, believe her, compared to 42 percent of Republicans.
Notably, more men than women believe Monahan’s allegations, with just 18 percent of women expressing belief and 25 percent of men believing her.
“The whole thing appears to me to be a politically motivated farce,” Center of the American Experiment President John Hinderaker wrote at Power Line. “You can see this in the Star Tribune’s poll. Men don’t approve of Ellison, for any of a number of good reasons.”
The Star Tribune and MPR News poll was conducted between Sept. 10-12 and surveyed 800 likely voters, with 37 percent of respondents identifying as Democrats and 31 percent affiliating with the Republican Party.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
