Hey Minnesotans! Question about the Senate race: What's the Barkley influence there?

[SteppingRazor]

Franken has finally just barely pulled even with Coleman. Were it not for Barkley, would this be a blow out? Or does he pull fairly equally from both sides?

Thanks in advance for setting me straight! :)

[dflprincess]

1. According to the article in the Star Tribune

that reported on the Minnesota Poll showing Franken up by 10; Barkley is hurting Coleman more.

[CatholicEdHead]

4. Historically the polls do show Republicans loosing votes

up until election day. Then the trend is the Republicans bail back to the party and many DFLers follow through with voting for the alternate candidate.

I do expect the Independence Party to renew their major party status in the state with the percentage and number of votes that Barkley will get no matter what else happens.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. My impression is that he pulls some from both sides

Al Franken was the majority favorite though not the overwhelming favorite in the endorsement race, but his main opponent was a peace activist whose political opinions were in Kucinich/Sanders/DeFazio territory, not a muddled centrist like Barkley. There were other candidates who were more conventional but who didn't do as well. Some of their supporters may go for Barkley.

Coleman had solid Republican support until he voted for the bailout, which infuriated ordinary people here as everywhere else. After that vote, a number of the usual wingnuts who rant and rave on the Star-Tribune's website declared that they were going to vote for Barkley.

Barkley doesn't have the appeal to suburban and rural macho wannabes that Jesse Ventura had, so I doubt that he would win, but anything can happen.

[SteppingRazor]

3. Oh, I'm not worried in the least about Barkley winning. I'm just worried about the spoiler effect...

the concern, of course, being that Franken would win were it not for Barkley, whose views appear to be closer to Franken's than Coleman's.

[Eric J in MN]

5. If Al Franken loses, I won't blame it on there being a third candidate.

Franken has generally done better in the polls since Barkley entered the race.

[Tigress DEM]

6. He's a scary man. Makes me want to barf.

[MnFats]

7. listening to the debate? Barkley re: budget problems crop up at end of ventura term?

Barkley is claiming he & Ventura had a wonderful budget/school plan but the DFL and GOP fuckd it up?

I seem to remember Ventura being the one most responsible for the finance fuckup at the end of the Ventura term?
anyone refresh my memory please?

[dflprincess]

8. That would be my recollection

- the reduction in license tab fees because Jesse owned several expensive vehicles. The tax rebate checks that were sent because "the surplus belongs to all the taxpayers". (Strange how when there's a deficit it only belongs to the people on some kind of assistance or the schools.) Yep, I'd say Ventura had a big hand in screwing the state up.