Almost since the beginning of political time, the economy has been the primary issue that drives voting preferences.

According to our latest KSTP/SurveyUSA poll, time marches on and so does the economy as the “most important” issue cited by likely voters.

In the survey conducted in late September, 34% say the economy is the most important issue, with immigration a distant second at 17%. Abortion is the third most important issue at 12% followed by health care at 8% and government spending and gun control tied at 7%.

“Economy is way up,” says Carleton College political analyst Steven Schier, comparing the results to a month earlier. “You know it’s gone from 30 to 34% and immigration’s up from 14 to 17 and abortion down to 12% from 15.”

The percentage of likely voters viewing the economy as the most important issue has risen sharply since February, when it led the list at 21%.

Abortion has also risen as a key issue since February, when it ranked as the fifth most important issue at 9%. Now, it’s risen to third most important, largely due to one key demographic group.  

“Amongst women, abortion is the number two issue,” Schier says. “It’s the only sub-group where abortion ranks that highly and that’s a problem for (Donald) Trump.”

That’s because Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump among women by a large margin.

However, with the economy and immigration as the two leading issues all year in Minnesota, that could benefit Trump and Republicans.

“The issues that are growing in this survey are immigration and the economy,” Schier says. “And generally, that’s good news for Republicans and Trump because those are the issues they think they have an advantage on Harris and the Democrats.”

Most national polls also indicate the economy and immigration are the top two issues among likely voters.

View the full survey results below: