Minnesota has a distinction in this presidential cycle, with two different candidates likely in the race for the Republican nomination. But as a new survey from Public Policy Polling (D) suggests, both former Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Rep. Michele Bachmann would probably lose their home state to President Obama were they the GOP nominee.
Obama leads Pawlenty by a solid 51%-43%, and leads Bachmann by a landslide margin of 56%-35%. Obama’s approval rating in the state is 51%, with a disapproval of 44%. By comparison, Pawlenty’s personal favorable rating is only 40%, with a 53% unfavorable rating, and Bachmann’s personal rating is at 33%-59%.
Obama leads all the other Republicans who were tested, as well: 54%-36% against Newt Gingrich, 56%-36% against Sarah Palin, 51%-36% against Mitt Romney, and 51%-30% against Herman Cain.
It should be noted that Obama won Minnesota by a 54%-44% margin in 2008, and the state has not voted Republican for president since the landslide re-election of Richard Nixon in 1972. And it does not appear that either Pawlenty or Bachmann are well-equipped to change that situation.
The survey of registered Minnesota voters was conducted from May 27-30, and has a 2.9% margin of error.
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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