Poll: Klobuchar safe in 2012 matchups

Sen. Amy Klobuchar is extremely popular with Minnesotans, according to a Public Policy Polling survey released on Tuesday. Klobuchar bests hypothetical Senate contenders such as Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Sen. Norm Coleman, Reps. Michele Bachmann and Erik Paulsen, as well as Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. She also has a high favorability rating.

According to the poll, Klobuchar has an approval rating of 59 percent, with 29 percent of respondents rating her performance as unfavorable.

In hypothetical matchups, she beats Pawlenty 53 to 43 percent, Coleman 54 to 40 percent, Paulsen 52 to 34 percent, and Emmer 56 to 38 percent.

She beat Bachmann by a large margin, 56 to 39 percent. The poll found Bachmann’s unfavorable to be very high, with 51 percent viewing her unfavorably and only 37 percent viewing her favorably.