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Rasmussen: Al Franken Takes Small Lead Against Norm Coleman
Taking a break from our usual focus on the presidential race, a new Rasmussen poll of the Minnesota Senate race puts Al Franken up three points over freshman Republican Norm Coleman. Here are the numbers, compared to Rasmussen's last poll from November:
Franken 49% (+7)
Coleman 46%(-3)
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WooHooo!! Go Franken!
On that note, the Democratic presidential nominee will in large part determine this race. If Hillary is the nominee, Republicans are going to flock to the polls to defeat her, and Franken. If Obama is the nominee, he will benefit from the "Obama Effect", just like Donna Edwards did.
Hillary can't win Minnesota in the general election, she loses to McCain 47% to 42%, and Obama kicks McCain's ass, 53% to 38%. So if you want Franken to win, or Democrats anywhere in the country, WE NEED OBAMA!!
http://thepersonalispolitical.tumblr.com/post/26284440
February 19, 2008 9:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Great! Because he's good enough, he's smart enough, and -- gosh darn it, people like him.
Go Al!
February 19, 2008 9:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
Given Rasmussen's usual tilt toward GOP candidates, this is important news. In 2006, for example, Rasmussen overestimated the actual GOP share of the vote in 19 of 21 US Senate races. The basis of their bias is unclear. (I'm not inclined to believe it's intentional.) It may stem from weighting their samples to predetermined partisan shares of likely voters, and the bias may have been corrected since 2006. If it has not, however, it's likely that Franken's actual numbers are 2-4% higher than shown.
February 19, 2008 10:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
In response to jsh1120, I absolutely agree that Rasmussen has a right-leaning tilt, but have a hard time proving it other than pointing to the gravity-defying numbers that continue to pass as Bush's Approval ratings on their site.
Do you have some info handy that proves the claim involving 19 of 21 US Senate races in '06 that showed Rasmussen overestimating the GOP share of votes? This would be great fodder for future scraps with my right-wing friends who rely on Rasmussen for their polling information.
February 19, 2008 4:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
God, I miss Al on Air America.
I hope he wins this race. He's a very smart man with a good heart. I hope he's successful as a U.S. Senator.
February 19, 2008 10:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
In the TPM Poll Tracker, you have Franken's name twice, instead of having Ciresi down to Coleman, 47-45.
February 19, 2008 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Will Franken even count as a Senator? I thought Minnesota is one of the states that doesn't matter. Can someone call Mark Penn?
February 19, 2008 11:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
Franken hasn't joined a team, he's on the fence when it comes to Obama and Clinton.
He was pro-war until it all fell apart, but he was more in Clinton's camp at the start.
He is unbelievably arrogant, much more of a limousine liberal than a true progressive.
Judging from his radio broadcasts, he is hyper-partisan, much happier on the attack than working in a collaborative manner.
In sum, he's more of the same: Another Minnesota DFL pol that is more about the machine than real change.
Bush-haters love him, but when push comes to shove, Minnesotans will stay with Coleman...if Franken is the other choice.
February 19, 2008 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I disagree. I think people are taking a second look at Franken. He's dropped the joking around and the attitude and has come across very sincere in this race. I think if he can continue to tie Coleman to Bush he has a good shot.
February 19, 2008 1:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think it is reasonable to judge by his radio broadcasts. It's a talk show host's job to keep the juices flowing, and Franken is an actor. (Frankly, I didn't like him much as a talk show host, but it may just be that I hate talk shows.)
As to whether he's an attack dog or not, I dunno. It would be nice to see some Dems who weren't collaborationists.
His main Dem opponent, Cirisi, is a wealthy trial lawyer whose politics seem ok (past legal cases have included Dalkon Shield, Union Carbide-Bhopal, and the tobacco industry) but who's not very exciting (he lost the Dem endorsement in 2000 to Mark Dayton, who's not very exciting himself, but whose family is well known in Minnesota).
February 19, 2008 8:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hope that the good people of the DFL nominate the candidate who will defeat Norm Coleman. This political chameleon has got to be one of the most craven members of the senate.
Let us not forget that Coleman climbed over the warm bodies of Paul Wellstone and family and it is widely felt that he rode the wave of distortions over public expressions of grief in the Wellstone tragedy. If Franken has the goods on Coleman, then he deserves the nomination.
Franken also happens to be an exceedingly well informed policy wonk and about as self-deprecating as they come.
February 19, 2008 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
It would be great to have Franken in the Capitol! I miss him on Air America, too. He's as intelligent as he is funny and his disarming disposition could give him a very influential voice in the Senate.
February 19, 2008 4:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ozziny, we will not forget.
February 19, 2008 9:17 PM | Reply | Permalink