A new Rasmussen poll has Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) under 50%, though still leading DFL candidate Al Franken by 10 points, 46-36.
More below the fold...
The poll would seem to represent good news-bad news for this seat: on the one hand, it's great to see Coleman under 50%, which as Rasmussen points out, typically signals an endangered incumbent. It's also good to see the gap narrowing, since a previous poll had a wider margin for Smilin' Norm Coleman.
But on the other hand, Franken is showing disturbingly high negatives (39-46 favorable-unfavorable), and an alarming 10% of those polled indicated that they would vote for a 3rd party candidate.
My read on this is that Minnesota voters are not pleased with Coleman, but also not happy with their current options. The only other major declared candidate is Mike Ciresi.
There has not been much discussion in the local press or blogosphere about other possible candidates. I've heard that peace activist Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer is considering a run. He could pose problems for Franken, if I'm correct in guessing that some of the displeasure with Franken is related to his initial support for the War in Iraq and his continuing opposition to withdrawal.
Minnesota Campaign Report continues to do a good job covering this race, which still should be one of the hottest Senate races for '08.
I look forward to reading other Minnesota DFLers' take on this poll and the race, along with all Kossacks' thoughts. I only recently moved to Minnesota and am itching to get involved. It should be said that it's still very early and these early polls are of questionable usefulness this far out. Still, it does make one worry about Franken's chances-- though the large crowds at his events are encouraging.