Minnesota Poll: Hatch Still Leading Pawlenty

Attorney General Mike Hatch continues to lead Gov. Tim Pawlenty, albeit by a smaller margin, according to the Minnesota Poll.

Hatch, the DFL challenger, leads Republican Pawlenty 45% to 40%.  Independence party candidate Peter Hutchinson lags well behind with 7% of the vote.  The poll was conducted October 31 through November 3.  The dates of polling may be significant, as most respondents were polled before the Hatch campaign suffered some embarrassment in the wake of gaffes by Hatch and by former State Auditor Judi Dutcher, the Lieutenant Governor candidate.

Pawlenty held a slim lead among men, leading Hatch 44% to 41%.  However, Hatch held a commanding lead among women, taking 48% of the vote to just 36% for Pawlenty.

The poll does show some tightening since last month, when Hatch held a nine percentage point lead.  The poll surveyed 1,027 likely voters, and has a margin of error of 3.2%.