The Star Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio News polled 800 Minnesota likely voters between Sept. 10 and Sept. 12. Highlights from questions about the governor's race are below. Respondents were read the names of all candidates on the ballot; Chris Wright, the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis candidate received the support of 2 percent of respondents, and Josh Welter, the Libertarian candidate, received the support of 1 percent. Scroll down the page to see details about how the poll was conducted and the demographics of the 800 respondents.
If the 2018 general election for Minnesota governor were held today, would you vote for...?
| Tim Walz (DFL) | Jeff Johnson (Republican) | Other | Undecided |
| 45% | 36% | 3% | 16% |
| Tim Walz | Jeff Johnson | Other | Undecided | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 40% | 40% | 4% | 16% |
| Women | 50 | 32 | 2 | 16 |
| Democrats | 84 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| Republicans | 2 | 90 | 1 | 7 |
| Independents / other | 40 | 26 | 7 | 27 |
| 18-34 | 62 | 17 | 3 | 18 |
| 35-49 | 42 | 33 | 5 | 20 |
| 50-64 | 39 | 41 | 2 | 18 |
| 64+ | 42 | 45 | 1 | 11 |
| Under $50,000 | 41 | 37 | 5 | 17 |
| $50,000 and over | 44 | 40 | 2 | 14 |
| Hennepin / Ramsey | 55 | 27 | 2 | 16 |
| Metro Suburbs | 39 | 42 | 5 | 14 |
| Southern Minn. | 48 | 34 | 2 | 16 |
| Northern Minn. | 35 | 43 | 2 | 20 |
Which one of the following issues is most important to you in your vote for governor?
| All voters | Walz voters | Johnson voters | Undecided voters | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 25% | 37% | 12% | 20% |
| Quality of Public Education | 18 | 24 | 9 | 22 |
| The Economy & Jobs | 16 | 11 | 22 | 17 |
| Immigration | 11 | 2 | 25 | 5 |
| Taxes | 10 | 3 | 18 | 9 |
| Protecting the Environment | 6 | 9 | 1 | 7 |
| Crime & Public Safety | 4 | 6 | 2 | 5 |
| Gun Rights & Gun Control | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Drug abuse & Opioid addiction | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Transportation & Transit | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Abortion | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Affordable Housing | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Not Sure | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Do you recognize the name ______? (IF YES) Do you have a favorable, unfavorable or neutral opinion of ______?
| Tim Walz | Jeff Johnson | |
|---|---|---|
| Recognize Favorable | 37% | 26% |
| Recognize Unfavorable | 13% | 24% |
| Recognize Neutral | 32 | 31 |
| Don't Recognize | 18 | 19 |
About the poll
This Star Tribune/MPR News Minnesota Poll findings are based on interviews conducted Sept. 10-12 with 800 Minnesota likely voters. The interviews were conducted via land line (60 percent) and cellphone (40 percent). The poll was conducted for the Star Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio News by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research Inc. Results of a poll based on 800 interviews will vary by no more than 3.5 percentage points, plus or minus, from the overall population 95 times out of 100. Margins are larger for groups within the sample, such as Democrats and Republicans, and age groups.
The self-identified party affiliation of the respondents is 37 percent Democrats, 31 percent Republicans and 32 percent independents or other.
Sampling error does not take into account other sources of variation inherent in public opinion surveys, such as nonresponse, question wording or context effects. In addition, news events may have affected opinions during the period the poll was taken.
Readers can e-mail questions to djmcgrath@startribune.com.
Demographic breakdown of this polling sample
| PARTY | ||
|---|---|---|
| DFL/Democrat | 299 | (37%) |
| Republican | 246 | (31%) |
| Independent/Other | 255 | (32%) |
| AGE | ||
| 18-34 | 152 | (19%) |
| 35-49 | 200 | (25%) |
| 50-64 | 226 | (28%) |
| 65+ | 216 | (27%) |
| Refused | 6 | (1%) |
| GENDER | ||
| Male | 377 | (47%) |
| Female | 423 | (53%) |
| INCOME | ||
|---|---|---|
| < $25,000 | 84 | (10%) |
| $25,000-$49,999 | 127 | (16%) |
| $50,000-$74,999 | 130 | (16%) |
| $75,000-$99,999 | 121 | (15%) |
| $100,000+ | 125 | (16%) |
| Refused | 213 | (27%) |
| REGION | ||
| Hennepin/Ramsey | 255 | (32%) |
| Metro Suburbs | 230 | (29%) |
| Southern Minnesota | 160 | (20%) |
| Northern Minnesota | 155 | (19%) |
| INTERVIEW | ||
| Land-line | 483 | (60%) |
| Cell Phone | 317 | (40%) |
