Poll: Johnson, McFadden Gain Ground

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A new Star Tribune Minnesota Poll shows Governor Mark Dayton

maintains a lead over Republican challenger Jeff Johnson, but Johnson has gained support in the last month.

The poll taken October 20th through October 22nd shows Dayton leading Johnson, 45 percent to 38 percent. The Star Tribune reports 5 percent of likely voters polled supported Independence Party candidate Hannah Nicollet.

Last month, the poll showed 45 percent of voters polled supported Dayton, while 33 percent supported Johnson.

More Minnesotans also say they know who they will vote for. Ten percent are still undecided, compared with 20 percent in September.

The new poll surveyed 800 likely voters by telephone, using landlines and cellphones. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Senate Poll Results:

In Minnesota's US Senate race, the poll shows Senator Al Franken has more support than Republican challenger Mike McFadden, but Franken's advantage appears to have slipped in recent weeks.

The poll published Sunday shows 48 percent of likely voters surveyed support Franken, while 39 percent support McFadden.

A September poll showed McFadden had been down by 13 percentage points.

McFadden continues to have more support in suburbs and among independents.

Meanwhile, Franken has more support from voters in Hennepin and Ramsey counties, and across northern Minnesota.

The poll surveyed 800 likely voters by telephone from October 20th through October 22nd, using landlines and cellphones. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.