Coleman in Dead Heat With DFL in MN 2008 Senate Race

Minnesota Republican Senator Norm Coleman has seen the 20-point lead he held in February 2007 against both Al Franken and Mike Ciresi dissolve to a tie according to a new SurveyUSA poll conducted October 24-28 of 692 registered voters in the Gopher State.

Coleman holds a statistically insignificant 46 percent to 45 percent advantage over Franken, and was tied with Ciresi at 44 percent apiece.

Back in February 2007, SurveyUSA measured Coleman’s lead as 22 points over Franken and 21 points over Ciresi. In late July 2007, SurveyUSA measured Coleman’s lead as 7 points over Franken and 6 points over Ciresi.

Minnesotans are still not nearly as familiar with Franken (18 percent) and Ciresi (43 percent) as Coleman (6 percent) when asked if they had a favorable, unfavorable, or neutral opinion of the candidates. The fact that both Franken and Ciresi have both polled at almost exactly the same margin in match-up polls against Coleman all year, and the fact that both candidates are in a dead heat with Coleman this early in the campaign, suggests that Minnesotans are not so much supporting Franken and Ciresi, but opposing Coleman and/or the Republican Party.

This anti-Republican climate was felt strongly last November in Minnesota, when the DFL took back control of the State House by picking up 19 seats, and expanding their lead in the State Senate with a 6-seat gain.