(MPR) Republican Doug Wardlow is leading Democrat Keith Ellison by 7 points in the race for attorney general, according to the latest MPR News/Star Tribune Minnesota Poll — a significant reversal from the last round of polling in mid-September.
Of 800 likely voters polled last week, 43 percent said they preferred Wardlow, an attorney and one-time state legislator, while 36 percent said they support Ellison, who has served the 5th District in Congress for the last 12 years; 16 percent said they were undecided in the race, a 2-point drop from the earlier poll.
In September, Ellison held a 5-point lead over Wardlow.
Wardlow remains relatively unknown to voters — 56 percent of those polled said they don’t recognize his name. Eight in 10 voters said they recognized Ellison’s name, but more said they had an unfavorable opinion of him than Wardlow.