By Baird Helgeson
 
U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann might be one of the most divisive members of Congress, but she has solid support in her district and holds a commanding lead over DFL challengers, according to a new poll conducted by Public Policy Polling.
 
Fifty–three percent of Bachmann’s constituents approve of the job she is doing and 41 percent disapprove.
 
Against DFL challengers, Bachmann leads Maureen Reed 53 to 37 and Tarryl Clark 55 to 37.
 
The polling company said the numbers could improve for Reed and Clark once residents in the district get to know them better.
 
The poll found that 68 percent have no opinion about Clark and 82 percent don’t know enough about Reed to have an opinion.
 
The results reaffirm that Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District remains one of the most conservative bastions in the state.
 
President Obama got 45 percent of the vote in the last election, but his approval rating is now at 39 percent.
 
Only 29 percent of voters in the district approve of the job congressional Democrats are doing. The same number of voters supported the health care bill that is close to final passage.
 
“Michele Bachmann’s constituents don’t seem to mind her penchant for controversial comments,” company president Dean Debnam said in a statement. “Given how poorly national Democrats rate in the district, they probably agree with a lot of them.”
 
Public Policy Polling surveyed 719 voters from Dec. 17 to 20. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.7 percent.