Dem leads GOP incumbent in Minnesota congressional race: poll

Democratic businessman Dean Phillips holds a 9-point advantage over incumbent Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) ahead of November’s midterm election in Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District in results from new polling within the survey’s margin of error.

Phillips has the support of 51 percent of respondents, while 42 percent say they’ll support Paulsen, a poll conducted by The New York Times Upshot and Siena College found.

{mosads}Paulsen has comfortably won elections for the seat since 2008, but the Cook Political Report rates the race as a “toss-up.”

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won the district in 2016 with 51 percent of the vote, compared to President Trump’s 41 percent.

Paulsen grabbed headlines last month when video showed the crowd laughing after he said during a debate that he tries to be accessible to his constituents.

The New York Times and Siena College surveyed 500 people for the new poll, which has a margin of error of 9 points.