A respected pollster expressed surprise – and perhaps a hint of anxiety – at the fact that former President Donald Trump is polling so closely to President Joe Biden in a traditionally Democratic state following his conviction for ‘hush money’. Frank Luntz shared his observations on the polling numbers of Biden and Trump in Minnesota, a state that has consistently voted for Democratic presidential candidates over the years.

Despite losing Minnesota in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, Trump is currently trailing Biden by 2.3% in a head-to-head race, as per the RealClearPolling average. Luntz, speaking on “CNN News Central,” characterized the tight race in a state that typically leans Democratic as significant and underscored the importance of Trump’s strong polling numbers against Biden despite his recent criminal conviction.

“To me, it’s not that Donald Trump is winning so big in Iowa. That’s not the story. It’s that he’s making it close in Minnesota. Minnesota is a reliable Democratic state. It votes Democrat in every presidential campaign. In poll after poll, I see Trump within two or three points in Minnesota. I don’t think the media understands exactly what’s going on right now,” said Luntz.

“Yes, Trump dropped a few points after being found guilty on 34 felony counts. But remember this, that would have destroyed any candidate as recently as 10 years ago,” he continued. “And the fact that Donald Trump is still even with, or in some cases leading, Joe Biden after being found guilty of 34 felonies, oh my God, that is so significant.”

Watch: