Kamala Harris’ bet on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz actually cost her support in her home state.
That’s the conclusion of a new poll of 635 likely voters conducted by KSTP in Minnesota, which shows the Democratic presidential nominee’s lead over Donald Trump has been cut in half since he chose Walz as his running mate last month and made a splash at the Democratic National Convention.
Harris currently leads Trump 48% to 43%, a significant decline from previous polls that showed her leading 50% to 40%.
This is the opposite of the sharp rise after a competition that is usually expected.
This is especially noteworthy given that the poll included more Democrats than Republican respondents: Democrats made up 40% of the sample, Republicans 35%, and the rest were independents.
Polls show Waltz hurting Harris’s approval ratings.
Only 52% of Minnesota voters view him as a good or excellent choice, 12% say he is a fair choice, and a whopping 34% say he is a bad choice.
Walls is in the hands of men, with 49% approving his choice and 50% disapproving. About 40% of male respondents called him a bad choice of running mate.
Nor are voters under 35, a key demographic Harris relies on in November, enthusiastic: 49% say Waltz is an excellent or good choice, while 51% have an unfavorable view of him. Those voters make up 25% of the expected November electorate.
Among parents, Waltz had a 1% point lower approval rating, with 48% approving of him and 49% disapproving. Thirty-five percent of parents said he was the wrong choice.
There was also a dramatic gap between urban and rural residents on this issue: 38% of rural residents supported the option, compared to 59% of suburban residents and 61% of urban residents.
Fifty-nine percent of Twin Cities residents rated their schools as very good or good, compared to 48 percent of northeastern Minnesota residents, 46 percent of western Minnesota residents and 35 percent of southwestern Minnesota residents.
The gender gap that Harris has faced in most polls extends to Wallace, with 49 percent of men supporting her choice compared to 57 percent of women.
The poll was conducted by SurveyUSA from August 27 to August 29.
