Poll: Franken extends lead to double digits

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) has widened his lead over Republican challenger Mike McFadden to 18 points, according to a new SurveyUSA/KSTP poll.

Franken leads McFadden 55 percent to 37 percent in the poll of 577 likely voters released this week, double the 9-point lead he held in the same poll last month.

{mosads}Both candidates have strong support within their own party. Among Republicans, McFadden draws 84 percent support while Franken enjoys 94 percent support among Democrats. Franken, though, holds a 17-point lead among independents, the poll found.

Franken has 15-point lead among men and a 21-point lead among women. The incumbent senator is also posting double-digit edge in every part of the state.

Polling ended a day after the two candidates’ first debate Oct. 1. The pair will go head to head in two more debates in late October and early November. 

Franken, a former “Saturday Night Live” star, has consistently led McFadden, a self-funded businessman in polling.

A Minnesota Star Tribune poll released last month found the Democrat with a 13-point advantage among likely voters.

The SurveyUSA poll used a blend of automated home telephone calls and cellphone surveys from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2. It has a 4-percent margin of error.