Early voting began last week, and a KSTP poll shows what might be motivating Minnesota’s voters.
When asked what the most important issue is, 37% of respondents said, “Inflation/Cost of living,” or affordability. “Fraud” (14%) and “Health Care” (12%) were the only other issues to break double digits. This confirms the findings of out Thinking Minnesota Poll which inspired us to produce our report “Supplying Hope and Demanding (Real) Affordability: An agenda for Minnesota’s future.”
Turning to what Minnesotans want the next governor to focus on, “Fight Fraud” is the clear winner with 34%. “Lower Taxes” (23%) comes in second, which is not surprising given how heavily Minnesotans are taxed; this is one way to ease affordability pressures. “Improve Healthcare Access” (23%) comes third, and the only other one to break double digits is “Cut Spending” (11%) which, again, isn’t surprising given how much our state government spends.
As for the Attorney General, Minnesotans want him to prioritize the fight against fraud, with a massive 46% choosing this option. “Federal Lawsuits,” which have been Keith Ellison’s focus while in office, are the choice of just 8% of respondents.
Turning to the national race, Minnesotans want their next senator to focus on “Protecting Social Security” (21%), a big ask given how bad the program’s finances are, but understandable. Also popular were “Fight Fraud” (18%), “Improve Healthcare Access” (17%), and “Lower Taxes” (16%).
At every level, Minnesota’s voters seem to want officials who will tackle the epidemic of fraud which has been allowed to run rampant in this state over the last few years.
