Minnesota voters have a reputation as slightly nutty left-wing populists, which the elections of Jesse Ventura and Al Franken did nothing to rebut.  The latest survey from Rasmussen on the gubernatorial race and national issues may surprise, as Tom Emmer has a slight edge over all three Democratic contenders, but that’s not really the most surprising part.  Minnesotans also want an end to ObamaCare and the passage of an immigration-enforcement bill similar to Arizona’s (via Eric Black):

With Independence Party candidate Tom Horner officially in the mix, Minnesota’s gubernatorial race is a toss-up for now no matter which Democrat wins the party’s August primary.

Minnesota voters also favor repeal of the recently passed health care law and would like their state to have an immigration law like the one passed recently in Arizona.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Minnesota finds Republican nominee Tom Emmer again running basically even with the three Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party hopefuls in match-ups that also include Horner. Numbers for all the major party contenders have changed little from March, although Horner and former state House Minority Leader Matt Entenza have edged up slightly.

Emmer earns 38% support to 36% for Margaret Anderson Kelliher, speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Horner gets 11% of the vote, and 15% are undecided.

If his opponent in former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton, Emmer picks up 37% to the Democrat’s 35%. Horner trails with 12%, with 16% more still undecided.

By a modest 37% to 34% margin, Emmer bests Entenza, with Horner again at 12%. Seventeen percent (17%) remain undecided, given this match-up.

The internals are more favorable for Emmer against Kelliher and Entenza than Dayton.  The former Senator gets more unaffiliated voters than Emmer does, 30/22.  Emmer beats Kelliher among independents 27/22, and ties Entenza at 23%.  Emmer has the best favorability ratings at +14 with 24% unsure; Dayton’s top number is better than Emmer’s, but his unfavorability is much higher, which puts him at a +9.  Entenza only has a 38% favorable and just a +4 gap, while Kelliher ties Dayton at +9.

However, the really interesting results are in the issues.  Fifty percent of likely Minnesota voters want a repeal of ObamaCare, in a state that went for Obama by sixteen points.  Except for the youngest voters, every age demographic favors repeal by at least a plurality, and majorities above the age of 40.  Forty-three percent of independent voters want ObamaCare repealed, as opposed to 49% who say no, but for Minnesota independents, that’s a rather surprising result.

The numbers on immigration are even more stark.  Minnesotans want an Arizona-style law passed, 53/34, with majorities in every age demographic except thirtysomethings, where it has plurality support at 48/37.  A shocking 75% of 18-29YO voters want such a law passed in Minnesota.  Fifty-four percent of independents want such a law in Minnesota, as do 45% of self-proclaimed moderates.  Overall, 63% agree that law enforcement officers should be checking immigration status when stopping people for other violations, a position supported in almost every demographic except, oddly, the 18-29YOs that are so enthusiastic about the Arizona law.  Perhaps Rasmussen reversed the numbers in the other question — or maybe younger voters have had as much difficulty reading the bill as the Obama administration.