KSTP/SurveyUSA poll: Voters weigh in on sports betting, rideshare pay, Sen. Nicole Mitchell
As usual, Minnesota state lawmakers have left final decisions on dozens of key issues until the final three days of the session that started in February.
“The actions at the end of the session are often important, and the DFL needs to be quite aware of that as they proceed to the end of this session,” says Carleton College political analyst Steven Schier.
Among the issues is a bill regarding a statewide minimum pay requirement for rideshare companies that Uber and Lyft oppose. Both say they’ll stop doing business in Minnesota if it becomes law. Earlier they threatened to leave if an even more expensive Minneapolis ordinance took effect.
According to our most recent KSTP/SurveyUSA poll, 51% say a compromise should be worked out with Uber and Lyft. Another 16% say the statewide pay bill should pass and 16% say the Minneapolis ordinance should be allowed to take effect.
“If Uber and Lyft leave Minnesota, that is a huge issue on Election Day,” Schier says.
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Sports betting is another key issue that remains in limbo after months of negotiations. Our poll indicates 57% of Minnesotans want sports betting legalized. A bill is in play that would put control of sports betting in the hands of Native American tribes.
According to our polling, 44% of respondents say private companies should be in charge, but that isn’t being proposed. Nineteen percent say the tribes and the state’s two horse tracks should both be involved, while only 11% say the tribes alone should be involved.
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“Only 11% in our survey want tribes-only sports betting, and that has been the DFL position, and it’s not a popular one,” Schier says.
The future of Sen. Nicole Mitchell is also in question at the State Capitol. Senate Republicans made a motion to expel her from the Senate this week in the wake of her burglary arrest last month.
In our poll, 36% say she should resign immediately, 25% say the Senate should wait for the results of her criminal case and 16% say wait until an ethics investigation is complete.
“As long as this ethics violation issue is alive and has not been resolved, it’s awkward for the DFL and a problem for them,” Schier said after reviewing the poll numbers.
There appears to be little doubt she’ll remain in the Senate through the final days of the session providing the DFL’s crucial one-vote majority.
View the full survey results below: