03 November 2008
Democrat Barack Obama Favored in Minnesota, Polls Show
Senate, House races appear tight in Minnesota 1st Congressional District
Washington — A poll conducted a week before the November 4 election indicated Democrat Barack Obama enjoys a strong lead over Republican John McCain in Minnesota.
But voters going to the polls in the Minnesota 1st Congressional District on Election Day will be choosing more than a president. Tough choices await them among candidates in hotly contested races for Senate and the U.S House of Representatives.
The Minnesota 1st covers the state’s broad southern span from Wisconsin to South Dakota.
The Minnesota Public Radio/University of Minnesota poll released October 30 found Obama with an edge of 19 percentage points over McCain in the north central state. In particular, the poll showed Obama with a strong lead over McCain among independent voters — those who do not identify with any political party.
That poll concurred with the findings of another voter survey, the Big Ten Battleground Poll, a week earlier. Both polls reported voters are most concerned with the state of the economy.
Obama has been endorsed by both the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the state’s largest daily newspaper, and the Rochester Post Bulletin, the newspaper of the largest city in Minnesota’s growing 1st Congressional District.
1ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: WALZ VS. DAVIS
In 2006, in a wave of dissatisfaction with Republicans, Democrat Tim Walz, a high school teacher and retired Army National Guard command sergeant major, won the Minnesota 1st congressional seat, upsetting a six-term Republican incumbent.(See “Southern Minnesota's Congressional Candidates Focus on Economy.”)
In 2008, Republican challenger Brian Davis, a physician specializing in cancer, says Walz is too liberal for the district.
Walz and Davis differ over approaches to economic, energy and immigration policy, and the causes of climate change.
The Rochester Post Bulletin, in its endorsement of Walz, said the first-term congressman so far has represented southern Minnesota well, including support for alternative energy development. The paper also cited his understanding of middle-class workers’ concerns.
THREE-WAY SENATE RACE
A poll conducted in the last week of campaigning found Senator Norm Coleman, a Republican, with a slight lead over his major challenger, Democrat Al Franken. Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley trails in third place.
Barkley, endorsed by former Minnesota governor — and former professional wrestler — Jesse Ventura, trails the other two candidates by a wide margin but is viewed by both parties as a spoiler who is drawing votes away from Coleman and Franken without a viable chance of winning.
The race between Coleman and Franken has been bitter. Recently, Coleman filed a legal complaint against the Franken campaign for running advertisements claiming the incumbent senator is corrupt. The complaint alleges the Franken campaign knows the ad is false. Coleman, a former mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota’s capital, has said Franken is not qualified to lead.
Coleman suspended his own negative advertising at the time Congress passed the economic rescue package, which he supported.
Both the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Rochester Post Bulletin have endorsed Coleman.
The Star Tribune cited Coleman’s good judgment in voting to support funds for infrastructure improvements, alternative energy investment and college grants for those who need them.
The Rochester paper also praised Coleman’s vote against drilling for oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and his support for benefits for military veterans.
