New poll shows Republicans leading in races for Minnesota attorney general, state auditor
September 17, 2026
According to a new poll, Republicans in Minnesota appear to have agood chance of winning their first statewide political race in 20 years.
Released yesterday, the poll was conducted by KSTP/SurveyUSA and asked 654 likely voters about their preferences in the races for U.S. Senate, governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and state auditor.
The survey was conducted from Sept. 9 to Sept. 14 and has a credibility interval of ±4.4%.
In the race for state auditor, Republican Scott Jensen, a medical doctor and 2022 nominee for governor, had a 7-point lead over DFLer Zack Filipovich, an accountant and former member of the Duluth City Council.
According to the poll, 43% of respondents selected Jensen when asked who they would vote for if the state auditor election were held today. Meanwhile, 36% of those surveyed said they would vote for Filipovich, and 17% were undecided.
Jensen’s lead is likely attributed to his high name-ID from his 2022 campaign for governor.
In the race for attorney general, Republican Ron Schutz had a lead over incumbent attorney general Keith Ellison, although the lead was within the margin of error. In that poll, 45% of respondents said they would vote for Schutz, 43% picked Ellison, and 12% were undecided.
Four years ago, Ellison won reelection to a second term by less than one point. As the KSTP/SurveyUSA poll indicates, Ellison’s bid for a third term could be just as close.
Meanwhile, DFL Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Republican Michele Tafoya were tied at 42% in the new KSTP/SurveyUSA poll. This result is the fourth poll in recent days to show the race for Senate in Minnesota is within the margin of error.
Last week, TIPP released a poll showing Tafoya trailing Flanagan by two points. Just two days ago, a poll from a GOP-aligned firm showed Flanagan with a 1-point lead over Tafoya. Another poll released this month by Quantus Insights had Flanagan leading by 3.8 points. As such, the newest poll adds to the growing consensus that the race is up for grabs.
Surprisingly, the KSTP/SurveyUSA poll showed a close contest in the campaign for secretary of state. According to the poll, DFL incumbent Steve Simon received 40% in the new poll while Republican Tad Jude received 36%. Another 20% of respondents were undecided.
That result was a particular surprise given Simon’s history of winning the office by wide margins. This year, Simon is attempting to win his fourth term as secretary of state.
In the governor’s race, DFL U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar led Republican state House Speaker Lisa Demuth by 7 points; 47% to 40%. In total, 9% of those surveyed were undecided. While the poll shows a lead for Klobuchar, the result represents a big improvement for Demuth.
Last month, KSTP/SurveyUSA’s poll of the Minnesota governor’s race showed Klobuchar at 52% and Demuth at 36%. As such, Klobuchar’s lead has shrunk from 16 points to 7 points.
Overall, the polling results in all five of the statewide races appear to be encouraging for Republicans and worrisome for Democrats.
However, the KSTP/SurveyUSA polls have come under scrutiny in recent weeks after failing to accurately predict Demuth’s win in the GOP gubernatorial primary and the scale of Flanagan’s win the DFL Senate primary.
Regardless, the new poll is sure to increase the intensity of the campaign season on both sides of the aisle as Republicans see an opening and Democrats contemplate losing a statewide race for the first time in two decades.
https://alphanews.org/new-poll-shows-republicans-leading-in-races-for-minnesota-attorney-general-state-auditor/