Democrat Angie Craig Holds Slight Lead Over Jason Lewis in New Poll

A new poll gives Democrat Angie Craig a slight lead over Republican rival Jason Lewis in Minnesota's Second Congressional District. The open Second District, which includes suburbs in the southern part of the metro including Burnsville, Apple Valley, Rosemount, and Eagan, features one of the most competitive races this year and is receiving national attention.

According to a new KSTP/SurveyUSA poll, Craig leads Lewis 46 percent to 41 percent, while 12 percent of voters remain undecided.

"Nobody's a prohibitive favorite," said Carleton College political science professor Steven Schier.

"I think there's a lot of volatility in this race."

A Craig victory in November would mean a seat held by Republicans for 13 years would now be controlled by Democrats. Republican Rep. John Kline, who's held the seat since 2003, is retiring this year.

The same poll also found that Second District voters are supporting Democrat Hillary Clinton for president over Republican Donald Trump, 44-36. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson polled at five percent.

A majority of Second District voters said the economy is the biggest issue in the race, though a significant number also mentioned health care, national security and taxes.

The Craig campaign released the following statement on the poll's results:

"Angie Craig's strong business background coupled with her tireless work to engage people from across the district have generated sustained momentum in this race. These latest figures--which are consistent with the campaign's polling--underscore her growing support and highlight the self-inflicted damage brought by Jason Lewis' unwavering support for Donald Trump and indefensible history of extremist positions and dangerous rhetoric."

Image via Angie Craig for Congress