A new statewide poll is good news for the three DFLers running for governor, and for Independence Party endorsee Tom Horner, but the provenance of the poll has raised eyebrows because of Horner's ties to the firm that conducted it.
The poll, by Decision Resources Ltd., showed that the DFL aspirants all outpaced Republican Rep. Tom Emmer.
The poll also found that Horner, a longtime Republican commentator, attracted between 17 percent and 19 percent of the support of Minnesotans, a considerably better showing than he's had in other recent horse-race matchups.
That result raised questions about the objectivity of the poll, given the fact that the poll was conducted by the Minneapolis survey firm run by Bill Morris, who counts Horner's public relations firm as one of his clients. Morris, a former state GOP chair, is actively backing Horner's candidacy.
Horner's PR firm, Himle Horner Inc., accounts for about 20 percent of Decision Resources' revenue, Morris said, emphasizing that Horner's campaign did not pay for the poll.
Morris defended the results of the poll, which he said he conducts in-house quarterly on statewide issues and candidates. "If you read the questions and look at the demographics, there's no bias whatsoever," he said. "People can make their own judgment."
Nonetheless, the state Republican Party pounced on the Horner-Morris connection and filed a complaint with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, saying the poll amounts to an illegal contribution to the Horner campaign.
In addition, Rob Hahn, who's running in the August primary against Horner, issued a press release calling Horner a "consumate insider willing toi engage in any dirty tricks."
