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."

The poll of 800 Minnesota adults shows that former Sen. Mark Dayton fares the best against Emmer, with the support of 40 percent of those surveyed; Emmer is supported by 28 percent.

In a faceoff between Emmer and House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, he is supported by 28 percent of those polled, while she has the support of 38 percent.

Former House Minority Leader Matt Entenza is supported by 34 percent, while Emmer is backed by 27 percent.

The results of the poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, are somewhat at odds with other recent statewide polls. A Rasmussen Reports poll conducted last month showed Emmer with a statistically insignificant lead over his DFL rivals, while a Minnesota Public Radio/Humphrey Institute poll showed that the race was a tossup in mid-May. Both polls showed that Horner was supported by roughly 10 percent of those polled.