Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has a slim lead over all six Republican gubernatorial challengers in the 2022 election, according to a poll released Wednesday. However, ever since Minnesota was asked about the hypothetical matchup in December, the Democrats' lead has waned, according to the poll.
Walz has faced criticism for the state's COVID-19 response, according to a KSTP/SurveyUSA poll. In addition, members of his own party chastised him for failing to stop a copper-nickel mine from contaminating a forest area, as predicted by critics. The Biden administration then canceled the mining leases.
Crime has become a hot topic in November's elections, following the killings of George Floyd and Don't Wright, with Republicans and Democrats disputing police accountability measures.
In a hypothetical matchup, Walz has a slim 43 percent to 40 percent lead over former state senator Scott Jensen.
When comparing the current survey to a poll conducted by ABC-affiliated television station KTSP in St. Paul, Jensen appears to be closing the gap. In December, when the Minnesota adults were asked to choose between the two, Walz won by a margin of 12 points from 48 percent to 36 percent.
Tim Walz, Minnesota Budget Surplus, Spending
Senator Paul Gazelka, who resigned as majority leader to run for governor, has also come close to Walz. He is currently five points behind Walz with 37% to 42%, despite being 13 points behind in the last poll.
Michelle Benson, a member of the Minnesota Senate, is seeking the Republican nomination to run against Walz. According to the KSTP survey, he is 45 percent to 37 percent behind Walz, while former Congress candidate Kendall Qualls is 43 percent to 35 percent behind Walz.
Lexington Mayor Dr. Mike Murphy and Louisville Mayor Dr. Mike Murphy are further behind, in the fictional race, Neil Shah, a physician running on a platform that criticizes the government's response to COVID-19. Walz had a 44 percent to 35 percent advantage over Murphy in the poll, and he had a 45 percent to 34 percent advantage over Shah.
According to Carleton College political analyst Steven Shearer, there are still "too many undecideds" in the state.
"The governor has a serious chance of being highly competitive against any of the Republican candidates if they can raise enough money and run a good campaign," Shearer said.