Poll: Dayton 44, Emmer 41, Horner 10

Mark Dayton continues to see his support grow into the mid-40s, but Tom Emmer remains close and within the margin of error, according to a new Rasmussen poll released today. Independence Party candidate Tom Horner has continued to see his support decline. In the latest poll, he received the backing of just 10 percent of voters, nearly matching his lowest showing in months.

The last poll released, conducted by SurveyUSA, showed Dayton with a 5-point lead over Emmer, at 42 percent. While DFLer’s total support is higher in the latest Rasmussen poll, so is Emmer’s, indicated both have seen increased support among voters thanks in part to Horner’s decline.

Both candidates have been jockeying to shore up support in their respective bases, particularly as Horner’s support grew in September. According to the latest poll, both have succeeded, largely at the expense of the third-party candidate: Emmer now has the support of 86 percent of Republicans, and Dayton has the backing of 86 percent of Democrats. Among nonpartisans, Emmer gets 31 percent support, Dayton 28 percent and Horner 27 percent.

The recent poll, like most others, have been relatively good news for Dayton. He’s held a lead in most every survey, ranging from a 2 percentage point lead to as many as 11 after August’s primary. Today’s poll has a margin of error +/- 4 points.

Aside from the top-line numbers, the poll found 42 percent of voters see Emmer’s views as “mainstream” while 39 percent  see them as “extreme.” For Dayton, 46 percent say mainstream and 44 say extreme, while 42 percent see Horner as mainstream and just 34 percent as extreme.