Minnesota
Minnesota presidential poll: Biden leads Trump post-conviction
![Minnesota presidential poll: Biden leads Trump post-conviction](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/06/10/PSTC/74048565007-usatsi-13303055.jpg?auto=webp&crop=659,372,x0,y21&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Will Minnesota be a battleground state in 2024?
Minnesota hasn’t elected a Republican for president in decades, but low party support and close margins means the state could be in play for Trump.
The first poll conducted of Minnesota voters post-former President Donald Trump’s felony conviction shows President Joe Biden with a slight lead.
A new poll released by KARE11, MPR News and the Star Tribune found that the race to win the White House is still a close one in the North Star State.
Despite a Republican president not winning Minnesota in more than 50 years and Biden handily beating Trump in 2020, an unapproving and apathetic electorate is predicted to make 2024 a close election.
Here are the key takeaways from the poll.
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Biden leads Trump, but not by much
Of the 800 registered Minnesotan voters polled in the survey, 44.5% said they’d support Biden while 40.6% said they’d cast their vote for Trump with a margin of error of ± 3.5 %
Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. holds 6.4% of the vote while 7% of those surveyed are undecided and 2% favor other candidates.
More: Elections 2024: Will Minnesota be a battleground state in November?
Who’s voting for who?
Minnesotan voters are sticking to their party lines, according to the results. Most Democrats supported Biden and Republicans Trump.
Independent voters are split. While nearly 12% said they were undecided, more than 37% of those polled said they’d cast their ballot for Trump, almost 35% for Biden.
Is RFK Jr. a spoiler candidate?
According to Kennedy, no, he doesn’t see himself as a spoiler.
Despite it being statistically unlikely that Kennedy wins the presidential election, his presence on the ballot is attracting unhappy voters away from their major party figures.
Thirteen percent of independent voters polled in Minnesota said they’d back Kennedy.
In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY, the 70-year-old said he’s the hope a lot of Americans are looking for.
“I think it’s important that Americans feel that its potential for democracy to work for them, and they don’t have to vote the lesser of two evils. They don’t have to hold their nose and vote for a candidate they don’t like because they hate the other guy worse,” Kennedy said.
In a race that looks like it might come down to single digits, the independent candidate could be enough to pull votes away from either candidate to secure them a victory, putting the race in an even closer position.
“I think it’s important to give them an alternative where they can continue to have hope for our democracy and vote out of inspiration rather than fear,” Kennedy said.
More: A look at the closest Minnesota presidential election races in the last 50 years
What do Minnesotans care about?
The poll identified five top issues for voters:
- Democracy (27.4%)
- Economy/jobs (26.1%)
- Immigration (14.6%)
- Crime (8%)
- Healthcare (7%)
Previous polling from KSTP/SurveyUSA gave Biden a two-point lead in both April and May surveys.
— Sam Woodward is the Minnesota elections reporting fellow for USA Today. You can reach her at swoodward@gannett.com, on X @woodyreports, or on Threads @samjowoody
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Minnesota
Boosted by Trump's visit, Minnesota GOP raised more than $1 million last month
The Republican Party of Minnesota pulled in about $1.1 million in donations last month, boosted by former President Donald Trump headlining its annual fundraising dinner, according to its latest federal campaign finance report.
The Minnesota GOP reported having about $502,000 on hand in its federal campaign account at the end of May, and roughly $34,000 in debt. It’s a notable turnaround for the party whose debt exceeded $400,000 late last year.
“I believe we’re in as strong a position as maybe we’ve been in recent times,” state GOP chairman David Hann said in an interview Friday.
The Minnesota GOP also has a state campaign account. At the end of May, the party reported having $78,191 in that account while carrying $103,065 in debt.
Hann said the party paid off its remaining state and federal account debts this month.
“It’s been about 18 years since the party has been debt-free, and we are now debt-free,” he said.
Most of the money raised by the Minnesota GOP last month came from the fundraiser that Trump headlined, Hann said. “The dinner itself was … not a million, but it was close.”
Trump’s presidential campaign also raised money from the visit, taking in about $300,000 in direct donations, Hann said.
Trump is hoping to become the first Republican presidential candidate to win Minnesota since 1972. A Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 Minnesota poll conducted earlier this month found President Joe Biden holding a narrow lead over Trump.
Minnesota Republicans have their sights set on flipping the state House and ending the DFL’s trifecta control of state government. Control of the state Senate will also be on the ballot via a high-stakes special election to fill a west-metro seat vacated by DFL Sen. Kelly Morrison, who resigned to focus on her campaign for Congress. The Minnesota Senate is deadlocked 33-33 after Morrison’s departure.
The Minnesota DFL holds a fundraising advantage over the GOP, even after Trump’s visit.
The DFL similarly raised about $1.1 million in May, according to its federal campaign finance report, and it reported having $1.8 million on hand and zero debt at the end of the month.
Additionally, the DFL reported having $2 million and no debt in its state campaign account at the end of May.
“Even after they sold their souls to convicted felon Donald Trump, Minnesota Republicans still aren’t close to closing the gap with the Minnesota DFL,” state DFL chairman Ken Martin said in a statement Friday. “The DFL has a six-fold cash on hand advantage which has given us the resources to hire organizers and open offices in every corner of Minnesota.”
Staff writer Briana Bierschbach contributed to this report.
Minnesota
Minnesota weather: Cloudy and wet Friday, heavy rain possible
![Minnesota weather: Cloudy and wet Friday, heavy rain possible](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox9.com/www.fox9.com/content/uploads/2024/06/1280/720/CLEAN-FEED-AM-NEWS-5A2024_06_21-KMSPME003_04_59_59_00.12.15.18.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
MN weather: Wet Friday with possible heavy rain
It will be wet on Friday with several rounds of rain throughout the day and overnight. The Twin Cities metro area and southern Minnesota are under a flood watch Friday morning through Saturday afternoon.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – It will be a gloomy and wet Friday with several rounds of rain starting in the morning and lasting through the start of the weekend.
Temperatures remain below average for the first full day of summer, with a high of 70 degrees.
Expect rounds of rain through the morning hours, scattered showers in the afternoon, and more rain in the evening. Local area downpours are likely with the possibility of flash flooding. The heaviest rain will likely stay closer to the Interstate 90 corridor, but the metro could also see some heavy downpours.
The Twin Cities metro, southern Minnesota, and parts of western Wisconsin are under a flood watch from Friday morning through Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, southern Minnesota and part of the Twin Cities are under a level 2 slight risk for severe weather, while the northern metro up to the St. Cloud area is under a level 1 marginal risk on Friday.
The rain is sticking around overnight and into Saturday morning with a drying trend in the afternoon. Sunday is much nicer and drier, with highs in the 80s. The drying trend follows us into the week, along with warmer temperatures in the 80s.
Here’s a look at your seven-day forecast:
Minnesota
Minnesota state baseball championships to take the field despite rain
![Minnesota state baseball championships to take the field despite rain](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/06/21/58cdd748-bb78-45bf-85a5-4e729cb3eb24/thumbnail/1200x630/c373c7a4892facd2124cc0ab0a834bba/54c4671331577a6a3fdd3170f1afc6f3.jpg?v=cb1f2643a8816828741cfb3a3fb2d931)
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