MEMO | Minnesota Not Ready For Hillary: Poll Finds Clinton In Trouble In Key Swing Legislative Districts

June 22, 2015

From: Mark Drake, Minnesota Jobs Coalition President

As Hillary Clinton heads to Minnesota to fundraise, the Minnesota Jobs Coalition warns that Clinton is not an asset for the DFL.

A recent MJC poll (6/9-6/11) of 600 “likely” voters in swing legislative districts across Minnesota finds Clinton in trouble. As the DFL readies their candidate recruitment plan which relies heavily on the assumption that it will be “the year of the woman,” according to DFL party chairman Ken Martin, it appears not just Hillary Clinton, but the DFL could be in trouble in swing legislative districts around the state.

While Martin and the DFL assume “‘the confluence of having a woman at the top of the ticket running for president and women candidates running up and down the ballot throughout Minnesota could help us put a lot of those seats in play, including congressional seats and suburban legislative seats,'” (Tom Scheck “DFL leaders hope Clinton campaign boots Democratic women” MPR April 14, 2015) MJC polling shows Clinton is in trouble with nearly all demographics including independents, 25/56, women 40/46 and unmarried women at 42/43 which could drag Democrats across the state down much as President Obama did in 2014.

These findings come at a time when Governor Dayton maintains an approval rating over 50%. In full, Clinton’s approval rating is at 35% while her disapproval is at 49%.

The DFL has overplayed their hand with their early candidate recruitment plan pegging their hopes to tying candidates to a deeply unpopular Clinton.

The poll carries a margin of error of 4.1% and was conducted by The Tarrance Group on behalf of the Minnesota Jobs Coalition.