President Donald Trump trails former Vice President Joe Biden in Minnesota by just three points in the typically solid-blue state – within the margin of error in the latest Emerson College poll.
Biden leads Trump, 50%-47% with 3% undecided, while Emerson notes, "of voters who plan to vote by mail, 91% plan to vote for Biden, and of those who plan to vote in person, 68% plan to vote for Trump."
Trump's approval rating in the state stands at 46%, with 51% disapproving and 3% neutral. Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, a member of the Democratic Party-affiliate the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, holds a 50% approval rating, with 41% disapproving. Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, a member of the same party, holds a slim lead over her presumptive Republican challenger, former Rep. Jason Lewis, at 48%-45%, with 7% undecided.
Spencer Kimball, Director of the Emerson College Poll notes, "in 2016, the Senate races in each state were won by the same party that won the Presidential election in that state, and it appears that the same pattern might emerge in 2020."
Emerson also found most voters support a national mask mandate, 62%-28%, but are more split on whether schools should reopen.
"Forty-percent (41%) believe that schools should open, while 35% believe they should not, and 24% remain unsure," according to the poll. "Divided by party lines, 73% of Republicans believe that schools should open, while 70% of Democrats believe schools should not open. A plurality of Independent voters (46%) also believe that school should open in person and on schedule."
Emerson polled 733 voters in Minnesota from Aug. 8-10, 2020, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.