PPP poll: Dayton up by 3 percent

A poll released by Public Policy Polling on Saturday found DFLer Mark Dayton with a slight lead over Republican Tom Emmer at 43 percent to 40 percent. Independence Party candidate Tom Horner got 15 percent. The poll sampled a large number of Minnesotans — 2,058 — and therefore had a margin of error or just 2.2 percent.

PPP notes that all candidates had a negative favorability rating, but Emmer was the most negative with 14 percent more people saying they had an unfavorable view (51 percent) than a favorable one (37 percent). Two percent more voters had a negative favorability for Dayton (45 percent negative, 42 percent positive), and Horner had a 1 percent difference (36 percent negative, 35 percent positive).

PPP also said that Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s unpopularity in Minnesota is aiding the DFL. According to a press release from PPP:

There are a lot of open Gubernatorial seats this year where the unpopularity of an outgoing Democratic Governor is making it hard for his party to hold onto the office, but Minnesota’s a rare case where an unpopular outgoing Republican could be part of his party’s problem. Only 43% of voters in the state approve of the job Pawlenty is doing to 50% who disapprove. And the state expresses little enthusiasm for a 2012 Pawlenty White House bid with only 23% supportive of the idea and 59% opposed to it. It’s a close race and could go either way but Pawlenty fatigue might help put Dayton over the top.