Poll: Obama leads McCain by 10 points in Minnesota

A new poll of likely Minnesota voters suggests GOP presidential hopeful John McCain is entering enemy territory during the Republican convention next month in St. Paul.

The telephone poll shows McCain’s Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) with a 10-point lead over the Arizona senator among likely voters, with 48 percent saying they intend to vote for Obama.

{mosads} McCain gets 38 percent in the poll, conducted by Minnesota Public Radio and the Humphrey Institute. The Star Tribune in the Twin Cities reported on the findings on Thursday.

Ten percent of voters said they did not know who they would vote for or refused to participate. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percent.

McCain would get a boost among Minnesota voters by selecting the state’s GOP governor, Tim Pawlenty, as his running mate, according to the poll. Twenty-five percent of undecided voters or initial Obama supporters said they would be likely to flip if McCain chose Pawlenty.

The Minnesota governor is thought to be on McCain’s shortlist for VP.

The GOP convention begins on Sept. 1 in St. Paul.