GOP in striking distance to retake Franken seat

Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith (D) holds a 7-point lead over Republican challenger and state Sen. Karin Housley ahead of November’s midterms, according to a new poll publishing Monday.

The Star Tribune/MPR News Minnesota poll found that Smith, who replaced former Sen. Al Franken (D) following his resignation in January, has the support of 44 percent of the likely voters polled. Another 37 percent support Housley, while 15 percent of those surveyed say they remain undecided, according to the poll.

{mosads}Smith, the former Minnesota lieutenant governor, was tapped to replace Franken after he resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Smith now faces Housley in a special election to fill the remainder of Franken’s term, which expires in January 2021. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates Smith’s race as leaning Democrat. FiveThirtyEight gives Smith about a 90 percent chance to keep the seat.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) is also on the ballot, but she holds a far more significant lead over Republican challenger Jim Newberger, according to the poll. The poll found that 60 percent of likely voters support Klobuchar and 30 percent support Newberger. Cook rates Klobuchar’s seat as “solid” Democrat.

The poll’s results were based on interviews with 800 likely voters in Minnesota conducted from Sept. 10-12. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.