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Klobuchar rating at 58%; Franken is making gains
Poll finds voters are warming to Franken. Pawlenty has electorate almost evenly split.
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A new poll shows that Minnesotans continue to like the job Sen. Amy Klobuchar is doing and appear to be warming to Sen. Al Franken during his first few months in office.
The poll, released Friday by Rasmussen Reports found that 58 percent of the state's likely voters approve of Klobuchar's performance, while 50 percent approve of Franken's.
For Klobuchar, that is in line with other recent polls, but it is a marked improvement for Franken.
In late September, a Star Tribune Minnesota Poll found that Franken's job approval stood at 41 percent, while nearly a third of Minnesotans said they still didn't know enough to give an assessment.
And during his long campaign against former Sen. Norm Coleman, Franken's approval rating never rose above 50 percent.
In the new poll, only 5 percent of likely voters said they weren't sure how to rate Franken's performance.
He remains somewhat polarizing, with 29 percent strongly disapproving of the job he is doing, compared with 24 percent who strongly approve.
By comparison, 36 percent strongly approve of Klobuchar's performance, while 29 percent strongly disapprove.
In the poll, Gov. Tim Pawlenty got a thumbs-up from 52 percent of the state's likely voters, with 47 percent saying they don't approve of the job he is doing.
Asked about a possible Pawlenty presidential run in 2012, 42 percent said they would vote for him, while 46 percent said they wouldn't.
Rasmussen also asked about the performance of Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., whose national profile has been sky-high in recent months.
Fifty-one percent of likely voters said they approve of Bachmann's performance, while 45 percent do not. A third said they strongly disapprove of the job she's doing, while 28 percent strongly approve.
The poll, conducted on Tuesday, interviewed 1,000 likely voters. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Bob von Sternberg • 612-673-7184
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Current state office holders
Governor: Tim Pawlenty
One of only a few prominent Republicans to win a competitive re-election contest in the Democratic sweep of 2006, Tim Pawlenty is widely seen as politically shrewd and naturally likable.
- Lt. Governor: Carol Molnau
- Secretary of State: Mark Ritchie
- Attorney General: Lori Swanson
- State Auditor: Rebecca Otto
Minnesota's political giants: Learn more about the men and women who have shaped Minnesota's political history.
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