It ain't over...till the recount's over

Obama won the state of Minnesota pretty handedly, though there were some almost even breaks when considering issues like the economy, energy policy, protestants and catholics, almost all education groups EXCEPT those with post-graduate degrees, and those that made more than $100,000.

Obama was favored in larger cities and those with between 10,000 and 50,000 residents, but McCain lead narrowly in the suburbs and the candidates were tied in rural areas. These results are significant because of Minnesota's Democratic Farm and Labor party, which endorsed Barrack Obama, typically dominates rural Minnesota.

Independents also heavily favored Barack Obama, along with Democrats. Among the more that 60 percent of voters who said the economy was the most important issue Obama took only 53 percent of the vote

Obama also lead among both men and women, as well as all age groups EXCEPT those between 40 and 49.


Coleman and Franken are still fighting it out through an official recount, in which Coleman is still ahead by about 400 votes. Check back for updates.

Minnesota's 10 electoral votes will go to Obama tomorrow, despite the Republican excitement the state felt in the weeks after the Republican national convention. McCain and Palin seemed to give up on the state following the economic crisis, and McCain might be wondering now what Minnesota's Governor could have done for him, and how many more of those northern electoral votes he could have swayed with his intelligent, northern-conservative charm.

...BUT DON'T COUNT COLEMAN OUT

It ain't over until its over, and Coleman's kicking and screaming back into lead. He might not have lead in the polls for all of October, but today (after both Senatorial debates) he is again up by four points according to Rasmussen polls. It's unlikely that Minnesotans will embarass themselves with another celebrity politician after Ventura's shenanigans in the early 2000's, but with a viable 3rd part candidate in the race things are still too close to be able to call it Coleman territory yet.




Things don't look as optimistic in some of the House races in Minnesota, especially in Minnesota's 6th after Bachman's socialist and "Unamerican" blunders on MSNBC a couple of weeks ago. The polls have skyrocketed in her opponent's favor, perhaps best displayed by pollster.com


The other heated House battle in Minnesota is in Minnesota's 3rd, one of the wealthiest districts in the state. There the incumbent gave up his seat despite the objections of his supporters, and the seat has been hotly contested by a R and a Democrat. It does look like Eric Paulsen (R) will pull it out, but it's a race to watch.

Senate race by Rasmussen Reports

Election 2008: Minnesota Senate
Coleman Tops Franken 43% to 39% in Minnesota
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
See article

With the election just six days away, incumbent Republican Norm Coleman is back in front of Democratic challenger Al Franken – with his biggest lead since April -- in the U.S. Senate race in Minnesota.

Coming off what many view as his strongest debate performance of the campaign last Thursday, Coleman leads Franken 43% to 39% in the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of voters in the state.

Independent candidate Dean Barkley is favored by 14%. Four percent (4%) remain undecided.

Coleman’s lead is within the margin of error and the race has additional uncertainty due to the presence of a solid third party candidate.

A week ago Franken had a four-point lead, 41% to 37%, and Barkley, the wild card in the race, registered 17% support. The lead has gone back and forth between the two major party candidates since July, but the comedy writer and longtime Democratic activist has been ahead in all surveys in October.

But the latest survey, taken Tuesday night, shows Coleman solidifying his GOP base by taking votes from Barkley and also pulling Democratic votes away from Franken. In between the two surveys, the Republican, who is seeking a second term in the Senate, also picked up a surprise endorsement from the state’s leading newspaper, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Franken relies on humor in debate

The last Senate debate between Coleman and Franken on Sunday night was as nasty as the ads both sides have been running, and as substance-less as Franken's comedy.

Giuliani, Clinton back in MN

Both Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton are back in Minnesota tonight campaigning hard in the heated senatorial race between Al Franken (D) and incumbent Norm Coleman (R). Clinton has repeatedly urged supporters that Franken could be the Democrats' "sixtieth vote" in the Senate.

Both Giuliani and Clinton visited the state in late October, urging their bases to get out and vote.

Big endorsements for Coleman

Even Minneapolis' Star Tribune endorsed Republican Norm Coleman. The paper hasn't endorsed a Republican candidate since the mid-eighties.

Senate race polls

While the polls have been tight between Coleman and Franken lately, new polls put out by NBC/Mason Dixon and Rasmussen have Coleman leading Franken by a few points, says the Star Tribune.

Part of the new lead could be due to Coleman's performance in the recent debate, and the gap could widen after the second debate this Sunday.

Franken gets dirty, lawsuit, ad buys follow

The Franken ad that Coleman is now bringing defamation charges for is here along with a "truth check" from a local news station.

The presidential race might have been decided in Minnesota, but political are hot and heavy in the Senatorial campaign between Franken and Coleman. The mud-slinging has been going on for months, but now things are getting tied up in messy legal disputes. A lawsuit was recently filed claiming that Coleman recieved $75,000 from a friend in Texas via the insurance company where Coleman's wife works.

Coleman, who has promised to run a cleaner campaign, responded "If my opponents have any shred of decency left in this campaign -- stop attacking my family."

Will Minnesotans decide Franken's dirty politics have no place in their state? Right now the race is a toss-up, but a debate on Sunday night promises to shed more light on the polling data/