It's David vs. Goliath in the Seventh District congressional race, but Lee Byberg sees a glimmer of hope in his quest to oust ten-term incumbent Rep. Collin Peterson -- at least in his campaign's internal polling.
Political analysts across the state say Byberg is more than a longshot to threaten Peterson's seat this fall, but the Willmar Republican's campaign is pointing to a new poll they find encouraging.
Earlier this month, Byberg hired veteran GOP pollster Glen Bolger at Public Opinion Strategies to survey the district. Bolger's findings came in the form of a 300-person telephone survey with a +/-5.66% margin of error (a bit on the high side).
The poll shows that 39 percent of voters feel Peterson should be re-elected, 36 say it is time for a new representative and 23 percent are unsure.
Peterson still holds an overwhelming lead on the ballot, however, at just over 50 percent -- double digits ahead of Byberg.
Among voters who have heard of both candidates, Byberg trails by seven points (27 percent Byberg / 34 percent Peterson).
But that name recognition is seriously lagging: Byberg spokester Dave Thompson said that only 18 percent of those polled knew of his candidate.
Paula O'Loughlin, a political science professor at the University of Minnesota-Morris, said Byberg has a lot of work ahead of him for this poll to carry any weight.
