Minnesota is host to one of the more interesting Senate contests this year. Funneyman Al Franken (D) is challenging first-term incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman (R) in one of the more compelling and expensive Senate races of 2008.
Now, after millions of dollars of ads from both major candidates plus independent expenditures galore, it is hard to tell who is winning.
Just to complicate things, there is a major third party candidate, Dean Barkley, who served as a temporary appointed Senator after the death of Sen. Paul Wellstone in a 2002 plane crash.
The volley of negative ads by the two major candidates is clearly helping the underfunded Barkley.
So who is ahead?
If you believe the SurveyUSA poll conducted September 30 – October 1, Coleman leads by 10 points, 43% to 33%, with 19% for the independent.
But in a Minnesota Star Tribune poll taken at virtually the same time – September 30 – October 2 – Franken leads by 9 points, 43% – 34%, with 18% for Barkley.
A Democratic poll, by the Mellman Group, also has Franken up, but by a narrow margin of 2 points.
So who is ahead? Who is going to win? Darned if I know.
Stay tuned, and check back frequently. This compendium will be updated almost every weekday.
