Barack Obama polls highest with Minnesotans in a year

By Andy Mannix Tue., Oct. 26 2010 at 11:13 AM

Categories: Obama

Minnesotans kinda, sorta like this guy.

Just a hair more than half of Minnesotans approved of Barack Obama's job as president as of last week, according to a new Star Tribune poll. That's the highest poll rating Obama's seen in Minnesota in more than a year.

The poll found that 51 percent of the state supports Obama -- a 7 percent jump from a Strib poll in July.

Compared nationally, however, Minnesotans are quite as Obama-friendly as the rest of the country.

A recent Newsweek survey put Obama's national approval rating at 54 percent. It also found that only 40 percent of Americans don't support the president, the lowest disapproval rating since February.

It's still to be determined how Obama's rising popularity will translate to Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections. Notes Newsweek:

In 1994, NEWSWEEK Polls showed a similar steep climb in President Clinton's approval between late September and late October, but Democrats still suffered a rout in the midterms.

The Strib conducted its poll last week, before Obama's weekend visit to Minnesota to push the Mark Dayton ticket.