Franken 53 pct., McFadden 40 pct.

MINNEAPOLIS — A new poll shows U.S. Sen. Al Franken with a double-digit lead over Republican challenger Mike McFadden in his campaign for a second term, but the number of likely voters who are undecided is also in the double digits.

The poll for the Minneapolis Star Tribune shows Franken with 49 percent of likely voters compared to 36 percent for McFadden. Eleven percent are undecided.

McFadden has criticized Franken for his steadfast support of President Obama and the Affordable Care Act. Franken’s approval ratings of 53 percent are far ahead of Obama’s 40 percent in Minnesota. Franken’s rating has dropped two percent since February.

The first-term Democrat gets most support from the Twin Cities metro area where two-thirds of likely voters favor him compared to 20 percent for McFadden. In northern Minnesota, 55 percent of those polled support McFadden.

Dayton 45 pct., Johnson 33 pct.

MINNEAPOLIS — Gov. Mark Dayton holds a strong lead over Republican Jeff Johnson in his bid for a second term, but plenty of voters haven’t made up their minds yet, according to a statewide poll published Sunday.

The poll for the Minneapolis Star Tribune has Dayton at 45 percent and Johnson at 33 percent, with a sampling error margin of plus or minus 3.5 points. Twenty percent of those surveyed hadn’t yet made up their minds, the newspaper reported .

The poll also found a big gap in name recognition, with Dayton — a longtime political figure in the state — at 100 percent and Johnson unknown to at least a third of respondents.

Johnson said he knew going into the race that he’d have to raise his name recognition. But he also said the number of undecideds give him a plausible path to victory.

“The key for me is to continue to campaign and to get ads up on television, which we will soon,” Johnson said.

“Once I start sharing my vision, I would hope it starts to heavily break my way.”