14 October 2008
Minnesota Senator’s Vote on Rescue Bill Boosts Rival’s Campaign
Flagging U.S. economy also increases Obama’s lead over McCain in state
Washington — Voter dissatisfaction with the recently passed $700 billion economic rescue package has given a boost to the campaign of Minnesota Senate Democratic candidate Al Franken over that of incumbent Republican Norm Coleman.
Coleman voted in favor of the economic package. He said it is needed to stop a collapse of the U.S. financial system but should not be seen as a long-term solution.
Franken opposed the package, saying it failed to place new restrictions on lenders.
Before approval of the economic package, Franken trailed Coleman by 9 points in polls. Franken now leads Coleman by 4 points.
Voter unhappiness with the state of the U.S. economy also has helped propel Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to a commanding lead over Republican candidate John McCain in Minnesota.
A Minnesota Public Radio-Humphrey Institute poll conducted October 4-5 showed Obama supported by 54 percent of those contacted compared to 40 percent who favored McCain. The poll was conducted soon after the vice presidential debate between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Sarah Palin.
Polling also found more people were impressed by Biden’s performance in the debate than by Palin’s.
UNPREDICATABLE SENATE CONTEST
Minnesota’s Senate race remains difficult to predict, in part because it includes an unusually strong third-party contender, Dean Barkley of the Independence Party. Barkley was appointed in 2002 to serve the final months of Democratic Senator Paul Wellstone’s term. Wellstone died in a plane crash two months before the 2002 election.
Barkley thinks the economic rescue package was necessary but he has criticized currently serving elected officials for allowing the crisis to happen. His poll numbers have held steady at 14 percent and analysts expect Barkley to draw voters away from both Franken and Coleman.
One factor that might sway voters in November is party loyalty. Polls indicate Franken has the support of 63 percent of Democrats while Coleman is supported by 80 percent of the state’s Republicans.
Each has distributed advertising that attacked the other’s character, temperament and record, but Coleman announced October 10 he was stopping all campaign ads containing negative messages against his opponent. He said he also will reject ads by special interest groups with negative messages.
Coleman said politicians should be giving people hope during the current economic difficulties.
MINNESOTA LIKELY TO STAY DEMOCRATIC IN PRESIDENTIAL RACE
Presidential candidates Obama and McCain have campaigned heavily in Minnesota in the final weeks before the election.
For decades, Minnesota has favored Democrats in presidential races, but early polls for the 2008 contest had suggested the state would be closely contested.
Currently, Obama seems to enjoy a lead in Minnesota. A new poll, conducted by Quinnipiac University for the Wall Street Journal and washingtonpost.com, says Obama is supported by 51 percent of Minnesota’s likely voters and McCain is supported by 40 percent.
According to the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, two keys to Obama’s strength in the state are an abrupt change in voter party affiliations and strong reactions against directions that U.S. domestic and foreign policy are taking.
Forty-two percent of respondents to an October Star Tribune poll identified themselves as Democrats, up from 34 percent a month earlier. During the same period, Minnesotans identifying themselves as Republican dropped from 31 percent to 26 percent.
CONGRESSSIONAL CONTEST DOES NOT APPEAR CLOSE
In Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District, Democratic incumbent Tim Walz in an October 9 debate defended his vote against the massive financial rescue plan. He said government should not be a player in the market. He said the lack of government oversight led to the economic turmoil.
Republican challenger Brian Davis said several parties can be blamed for the financial crisis, including Wall Street banks that were allowed to make risky loans and the federal government for pushing financial institutions into risky mortgage lending.
A mid-September poll showed Walz leading Davis by better than a 2-to-1 margin.
Voter registration in Minnesota is at a new high. The Minnesota secretary of state’s office reported that as of September 30, 84 percent of eligible Minnesota adults — 3.15 million people — were registered, with another two weeks left before the registration deadline.
This article is part of America.gov’s continuing coverage of seven of the 435 U.S. congressional districts during the 2008 campaign. Each offers a different prism from which to view U.S. politics. For more information, see U.S Elections — State and Local.
