Obama takes big lead in new Minn. poll

A new Minneapolis Star Tribune poll shows Barack Obama opening an expansive lead in Minnesota, which appears to further shrink the electoral map of John McCain.

Some 55 percent of respondents said they support Obama, compared to 37 percent who back McCain. The last Star Tribune Minnesota Poll, conducted in September, showed Obama and McCain deadlocked at 45 percent.


The 18-point improvement comes as 58 percent of respondents said the Illinois senator would do a better job handling the economy while only 30 percent said the same of McCain.

The poll, conducted between September 30 and October 2, is based on 1,084 interviews with likely voters.

While the Star Tribune attributed the surge in part to "an increase in the number of Minnesotans who call themselves Democrats," Republicans questioned the results, and contended the most recent poll surveyed a disproportionately Democratic-leaning group of likely voters, and thus overstated support for Democratic candidates.

“These numbers would be accurate if the Star Tribune had done this poll in New York— not in Minnesota,” Glen Bolger, a pollster for Republican Sen. Norm Coleman said.

A portion of the Minnesota poll released yesterday showed a 13-point jump in support for Democratic comedian-turned-politician Al Franken, who's now taken his first clear lead, 43 percent to 34 percent, against Coleman.



Steven Schier, a political science professor at Carleton College in Minnesota, agreed that the poll seemed to oversample Minnesota Democrats.

“I can’t believe that’s real,” Schier said, predicting that the race will likely end “within five points either way.”

Obama leads McCain in Minnesota by 5 percentage points in the latest RealClearPolitics polling average, which does not include the latest Star-Tribune survey.

The Minnesota poll comes on the heels of news Thursday that the McCain campaign is pulling staff and resources out of Michigan, a reflection of a shrinking electoral map for the GOP ticket.

On Friday, the Obama campaign announced it was expanding its operation in traditionally red Nebraska.

On a conference call Thursday, the McCain campaign mapped out its electoral strategy for the remaining thirty days, with a focus on several states where the RealClear polling averages show Obama in front: Colorado (where Obama has a 4.4-point lead), Wisconsin (5), Pennsylvania (9.6), New Hampshire (5.6), New Mexico (7.8), Nevada (1.8)—and Minnesota.